Life
by AprilMeeha
Summary: *All Human* In New York, the guys move into a new apartment, just trying to find themselves. Instead they find the girls who help them do that. Love, music, laughter, tears. Sometimes life throws you a curve you never imagined possible. M for later.
1. A New Start

Disclaimer : SM owns all characters related to Twilight... I wish I was as awesome as her.

Chapter 1

Move In Day

EdPOV

Today was supposed to be a pretty boring day. My brothers and I were moving into our new apartment. We had decided to leave our home out in Forks, Washington to come here to find ourselves. 'Here' being New York. The Big Apple. So, now, here I was. Moving into a decent sized apartment, in a city where the only people I knew at all were the two guys I had known my whole life. I had my arms full with a couple boxes, Jasper was next to me in the elevator with a couple boxes of his own, and we had left Emmett at the car, on the phone with his girlfriend back home, Kate.

"What apartment are we, again, Jazz?" I shot a quick glance at my brother.

"Uh, 53, I think." His eyes were wide as he tried to remember.

"You think? Where is the paper the lady in the office gave you?"

"In my back pocket. Grab it." He turned so his boxes were facing the one wall of the elevator and leaned a so I could see the paper sticking out of his pocket a little. I turned to set my boxes against the wall by me, and held them there with my hip and one hand. Just as I reached for his pocket, the elevator doors openned and I heard one soft chord on a guitar fade out. I risked a glance at whoever was standing there with my hand still at my brothers back pocket. I was suddenly blinded by a bright flash of light that was followed by giggling.

"You must be the new people for apartment 54." I tried to shake away the spots that had formed infront of my eyes as I snatched the paper from Jaspers pocket and we both snapped back into a better position.

"Oh, yea. That would be us." I said after looking over the paper once, confirming what she said.

"Need some help?" Another voice asked, I took a look at who these people were. The one who had offered help was about five foot nine, with long flowing blonde hair. She was gorgeous. Her eyes were the color of the ocean, and her full lips were painted a deep red. The paleness of her skin just made her lips and eyes stand out that much more. I had to force my eyes away from her, to see the second girl. She was holding the guitar. Compared to the beauty next to her, this girl was nothing. Alone, she would still be pretty, but she had a more subtle beauty. Standing only about 5 foot even, with short spikey black hair, this girl could easily be explained as a pixie. Her eyes were blue as well, but not as vivid as her friends.

"Hello. I am Jasper and this is my brother, Edward." Jazz's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"I am Alice, and this here is Rosalie. Did you two need any help?" The pixie responded to Jasper but before we could say anything a phone started ringing. Rosalie pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and sighed.

"I don't want to answer it. We are late anyways, she is not going to be happy."

"Damn her! Why does she freak out over being 5 minutes late? I don't want to hear her yelling. Let's just go." Alice sighed as well and they seemed to have forgotten we were standing there. The elevator started buzzing really loudly so Jazz and I jumped off and the girls jumped on to head downstairs. We watched as the door closed slowly, now Alice's phone was ringing. Whoever was calling to yell at them was the devil, in my mind. That person took them away from us. I turned and looked at Jasper.

"Well, at least we met someone in the building."

"Yes, and quite a someone, I might add." He had a goofy smile on his face as we turned to find our new apartment.

.............  
APOV

Rose and I were running out the door, Bella was going to be very mad at us. We had overslept, again. Rehearsal was supposed to start 5 minutes ago. I grabbed my guitar and started playing the Mission: Impossible theme as we ran down the hall towards the elevator. We got there right as the doors were openning, and my hand stalled after one strum at the image before us. There were two guys in the elevator, both holding boxes. But one had his boxes leaning against a wall and his butt was sticking out towards the other guy, who had his boxes leaning against the other side of the elevator. His hip and one hand were holding the boxes in place as his other arm reached out and he was about an inch away from the other ones butt. Quickly I grabbed the camera that I always had in my pocket and I took a picture of them. It was perfect, the reaching one had looked up just in time and had the dumbest look on his face. That face was amazing, though. His hair was a bronze color and a complete mess, his green eyes were bright and he had a jaw carved from stone.

"You must be the new people for apartment 54." I asked as they snapped back up into better, less comprimising positions.

"Oh, yea. That would be us." The bronze haired one said softly after glancing at the paper he had taken from the other's pocket. I looked over at the other man, now. He had blonde hair, it was longer than the first guy's hair, but almost as messy. His blue eyes were so beautiful, I felt like I was falling into them. I watched those eyes look over me, and I was suddenly very conscious of the fact that I had just rolled out of bed, I probably looked like a mess.

"Need some help?" Rose spoke up, both men seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment, before the blonde God infront of me spoke up.

"Hello. I am Jasper, and this is my brother Edward." His voice was amazing. So smooth, so... just amazing. I realized I was starting to swoon, and had to pull myself back to earth.

"I am Alice, and this here is Rosalie. Did you two need at help?" We were already late for rehearsal. What was Bella going to do? Hunt us down? We were being good neighbors. Suddenly Rose's phone started ringing, and we both cringed, knowing who it would be.

"I don't want to answer it. We are late anyways, she is not going to be happy." Rose glared at the screen of her phone, which had Bella flashing across it. I looked at her and realized neither of us wanted to leave these guys right now.

"Damn her! Why does she freak out over being 5 minutes late? I don't want to hear her yelling. Let's just go." I sighed as the elevator started buzzing loudly. We switch places with the guys, so we were in the elevator and they were watching the doors close now. Once the elevator had started moving, I looked at Rose.

"Wow. Jess could have given us some warning that hot guys were moving in. I wonder if they are single..." I agreed on the part about Jessica, but gave Rose a look.

"Rose? Why does it matter if they are single? We both are seeing people." I realized I was whining. All we knew was there were two guys, both very attractive, moving into our building. We knew their names, and that was it.

The elevator doors openned and we both just stared at the angry muscles infront of us. This guy had curly brown hair, and really was just all muscle. When he saw people in the elevator, his angry glare softened a bit, and he smiled.

"Hi. I am Emmett. Nice to meet you!" My mouth fell open a little, and I still just stared.

"Rosalie." Rose responded first. "This is Alice." She gestured to me, and I shut my mouth to give him a small smile. This bear of a man scared me a little. We scooted around him carefully, then made our way over to Rose's car. I shot a glance back as we walked away, and saw Emmett was watching us as the doors shut.

"Well, our building just got very interesting." Rose laughed as we climbed in the car and took off to meet up with Bella, Jess and Lauren.


	2. New Friends

Chapter 2

EdPOV

The next day

It was about 4 in the morning, and I heard a knock on the door. It had woken me from a weird dream, so I was not totally upset by it, but still annoyed because of the hour. I walked out of my room and saw my brothers stumbling from their rooms at the same time. I seemed the most conscious, so I made my way to the door, the knocking had started again. I heard laughter from the hallway, and wondered if it was some sort of prank someone was playing on the new guys. I looked through the peephole and saw the pixie we had met in the elevator. She turned around to giggle with whomever was behind her, before getting as close to the peephole as she could.

"Hellooooo? Anyone alive in there?" I heard a snort behind her before I openned the door.

"Alice?" My head tilted to the side a little as I looked over her. Her hair was matted to her head and she looked like she had been sweating a lot.

"Edward?" She walked past me into the apartment, and I just watched her go. Jazz and Emmett were also watching, just as confused at me. I turned back to the hall and saw Rosalie and another girl sitting on the floor, leaning on each other for support as they laughed hysterically. I heard a groan in the living room, and walked back there to see Jasper walk over and help the pixie open the sliding glass door to the deck.

"Thank you, kind sir." Laughter came from the hall again as Alice walked onto the deck and climbed over the railing seperating our deck from our neighbors. Then she hopped the next one, falling on her butt and laughing before openning the sliding glass door on that balcony and slipping inside. I walked back out to the hallways to see Rosalie helping the new person off the ground. Suddenly, two doors down, a door flew open and a loud "Tada!" came out as Alice fell on the ground, obviously happy she had gotten the door open.

"Onward ho! To my couch!" The most amazing voice came from the girl Rosalie was helping to stand.

"Come on, silly. Time for you to sleep." Rosalie laughed as Alice held the door open for her to go through. She turned back to me and smiled.

"Thanks, Edward!" Then she flew into the apartment, closing the door behind herself. I looked back at my brothers and we all stood there for a moment, still in shock. Well, now we know where the girls live.

The guys and I went back to bed and woke a few hours later. I decided to go out and start looking for a job today, that was one thing none of us had secured before coming here. Our parents were covering the apartment until we could, but we wanted to be independant as soon as possible. As I walked to the elevator, I noticed a girl standing there, already waiting for it. She was leaning against the wall, her eyes closed, so I took the chance to look her over. She had brown hair that was pulled up into a messy bun, and her face was round, with soft, pink lips. She was very pretty, she still did not compare to the beautiful blonde Rosalie, but she was very attractive. Her soft body was covered with a tight white tank top and fitted jeans. She also had a black vest on and flat black shoes. As I stopped next to her, ready to wait for the elevator, her eyes snapped open. She looked at me, and my heart skipped. Her eyes were deep pools of chocolate brown.

"You live in 54, right?" She asked, and her voice was like music to my ears. I shook my head a little to clear it, then nodded. I realized she was only about five foot four, a whole head shorter than me.

"Uh, yea." I sounded like an idiot. I mentally slapped myself.

"Thanks for helping last night. Sorry if we woke you." The elevator doors openned, and we stepped in. Well, I stepped in, she tripped and almost fell on her face. I reached out to grab her before she could though. She smiled up at me, blushing a little.

"Not a problem." I smiled at her and saw her cheeks flush a little more.

When the elevator made it to the garage, we both stepped off. After saying goodbye, I made my way to Emmett's jeep. We had left both mine and Jasper's cars back home, and I hated it. I missed my car, maybe I could convince Mom and Dad to drive it here when they came to visit in a couple weeks. They wanted to see the apartment, and make sure we were getting settled in right. I pulled out of the garage and saw the girl walking down the sidewalk. I pulled up by her.

"Hey, did you want a ride?" I offered, her eyes met mine.

"I am not going far really."

"Come on, it is cold out here." I put the car in park and she reluctantly made her way to the passenger side. I watched her climb in and stare at the harness for a moment before just sitting on it and shutting the door. The jeep was more suited for off road driving than for city driving.

"I am Edward, by the way." I held a hand out to her.

"Bella." She took my hand and shook briefly before dropping it and staring out the window.

The only time either of us spoke was when she was telling me to turn, and it was not really an awkward silence. Just both of us lost in thoughts. When we stopped, we were right down the street from NYU. I looked at the building as she got out.

"Guess I will see you around." She gave me a small smile before shutting the door. I watched her walk into the building, then turned my attention to the area around me. Time to look for a job.

..............  
BPOV

I climbed the stairs up to the third floor. I was exhausted, and a little bit hung over. I felt kind of bad for not talking to Edward much, he had been nice enough to offer me a ride. Sighing, I dug my key from my pocket and let myself into the apartment. Edward was very attractive. Rose and Alice had told me that the guys moving into the empty apartment were attractive, after yelling at Jess for not telling them how attractive these guys were. Jess worked in the office of the building they lived in. I just did not realize how much of an understatement it was. Edward was gorgeous. He was like a God. I probably looked horrible, I had rolled off their couch and left, needing to get home and take a shower. Normally, I would have just showered and all at their place, but I had left my overnight bag at the bar.

Jacob was still sleeping when I walked in. A wave of guilt swept over me, I was just thinking about how attractive Edward was while my boyfriend was sleeping peacefully in our bed. I tiptoed to the bathroom to take my shower, hoping to not wake him. After washing all the grime off from the bar last night, I wrapped a towel around myself and made my way back to the bedroom silently. I pulled out one of Jake's t-shirts and a pair of his boxers to put on before climbing into bed next to him. As soon as I had pulled the covers over myself, he shifted and I felt his arm wrap around my waist.

"Morning, babe. How was the show?" He mumbled, not completely awake.

"It was fun. I am exhausted though. Rose and Alice need a better sofa." He laughed softly as I snuggled in close to him and let myself fall into a deep sleep. My dreams were about Edward, though, not the man holding me tight.


	3. The Shoppers

Chapter 3

EdPOV

A couple weeks later

We had finally gotten settled into the apartment. Alice and Rose had been a big help, too. We had learned a lot about them, too. We found out Rose worked at a garage, working on cars. I had never met a girl before who loved cars as much as she did. Alice worked at a hospital, as a nurse. She told us about the diferent people that came into the ER, where she worked most of the time. We also found out Bella worked at a coffee shop. She would stop by from time to time with coffee and snacks, at first just for the girls, but she slowly started bringing us things, too. She got a decent enough discount, but usually just took the snacks without paying. She hated her job, and told us about growing up the police chiefs daughter, so this was her way to 'stick it to the man' as Alice had put it once.

Jasper and I had found jobs, but Emmett was having a tough time with that. Most employers were intimidated by him, or they thought he was a big idiot, not giving him a chance. He had an interview at a gym in a couple days, which he was not too excited about. He did not like being cast in that sort of role, like because he was muscular, he automatically wanted to spend all his time at a gym. That was so not Emmett it wasn't even funny.

Tonight my brothers and I were going to check out a bar that Jasper had heard about at work - he worked in an office building, in the mail room, for now. There was apparently a good cover band that played there every thursday night. We had invited the girls to come out with us, but they already had plans. We were all disappointed, but decided to go anyways.

"So, Jazz, did you find out the name of this band?" Emmett asked as we walked to the bar, it was only about 2 blocks away.

"Uh, I think Marcus said they were called The Shoppers, or something like that." I heard Emmett snort at the name, it did sound a little odd.

"What kind of music do they do?" I asked, I didn't know how much information about them Jasper had gotten.

"A little of everything apparently. Classic rock, popular recent stuff. Everything." He shrugged. We came to the front of the bar, there was a short line of people entering. We waited outside for about 5 minutes before we were let in, after paying a 10 dollar covercharge each. This band must be decent if the bar books them regularly and charges people money to see them.

It was about 9:30 now, I was not sure when the band would be on, until I saw a flyer behind the bar. The band was, in fact, called The Shoppers. Jasper had remembered correctly. They were set to start soon. We ordered a few beers and sat there waiting, mostly in silence, but every now and then Emmett would comment on a girl who walked by.

There was a small stage set up on one side of the bar, you could see the kareoke machine set to the side. There was a guitar, bass, keyboard and drum set all sitting on the stage with a couple microphones, no one was even paying attention to it. Suddenly, I saw 5 people making their ways to the stage, all were female. I shrugged that off, I suppose not many men would name their band The Shoppers. I could not see faces very well, 2 were wearing hooded sweatshirts, with the tops up, but the other three just never looked in our direction. I finally saw one walk to the bass, she had short blonde hair, she was pretty, but nothing special. Another walked to the keyboard. She had long curly brown hair, also cute, but I could not help but compare everyone to Bella now. Which was crazy, we had barely even talked.

When the third, also a blonde, sat at the drums, I gasped. Jasper and Emmett looked at me funny, their backs were still to the stage.

"You ok, bro?" Emmett asked, Jasper just cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Look, it's Rosalie! She is the drummer!" I pointed at the stage and they both swung around to look. I noticed that they looked as shocked as I had.

One of the hooded two took off her sweatshirt and I saw the black, spikey hair, obviously Alice. She stepped over and pulled the guitar strap over her head. I watched in awe, as Bella pulled her hoodie off as well, talking to the rest of the girls before stepping up to the microphone that was placed at center stage. I heard Rose snapping her drum sticks together with a beat, but my eyes stayed on Bella. As the music started, I realized I recognized the song, but I was not sure what song it was until Bella started singing. Her voice was amazing. I was completely hooked on it.

"I saw him dancing there by the record machine. I knew he must have been about seventeen. The beat was goin strong, playing my favorite song..."

I was mesmerized by her. The way she danced around stage, the way she sang, the way she looked. Everytime the chorus came, everyone in the bar sang with her, including my brothers and I. About halfway through the song her eyes landed on me. She smiled and winked at me. My smile mirrored hers as I yelled along with the song. When it ended, she placed the mic back on its stand and turned back to the girls. I watched as Alice and Rosalie looked over at us as Bella spoke to them. Alice smiled innocently and Rose looked almost proud of herself. When we had asked them all to come out with us tonight, they knew what we were doing. They knew we were coming to see them perform even before we did.

The music continued then, leading into another familiar tune.

"One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock rock! Five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock rock! Nine, ten, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock rock! We gonna rock! Around! The clock tonight!"

The crowd was joining in again, I was starting to see why the bar brought the girls back every week. They seemed to have a loyal following, and they were just fun to watch. Bella, Alice and Rosalie were the most entertaining though. The three of them seemed to get really into it all, they were constantly dancing with each other and just having a good time on stage. I forsaw a lot of thursday nights being spent here. Jaspers friend Marcus found us at some point, and I greeted him, but my attention stayed on the girls.

The girls did some Maroon 5, some Hank Williams Jr, even some Spice Girls. It was quite a show. Jazz and I had exchanged looks when Emmett sang along to the Spice Girls, knowing every word. It worried me a little. They took a small break at about eleven. Rose and Alice came straight to us, I watched Bella walk off stage and meet someone off to the side. She walked to a guy who was easily over six and a half feet tall. He dwarfed her. She gave him a quick hug and a kiss, he must be the boyfriend she had mentioned. His name was Jacob. I felt my fists clench, it shocked me a little to notice that I was a jealous.

Rose and Alice were talking to us, but I could not take my attention away from Bella. Well, I couldn't until I saw her turn towards us. She pulled Jacob with her over to where the five of us stood. They stopped right next to me, Jacob's arm around Bella.

"Jake, this is Edward, Jasper and Emmett." We all nodded when she said our names. "They just moved into Alice and Rose's building." We all talked for a few minutes before the girls had to go back on stage. Jacob stayed by our group when the girls left us.

"So, Jake, you and Bella live together, right?" Jasper asked after taking another swig of beer. Jake nodded to him.

"How long have you two been together?"

"We got together right after she graduated from high school. So it has been about five years or so. She waited for me to finish with college before we moved here."

"How old are you?" Emmett asked, we all were confused now. By looks, he was at least a couple years older than all of us, but we finished college a few years ago.

"Twenty-two. I know, I look older than I am, and she looks younger than she is." He laughed a little at us. I was the youngest of my brothers, and I was still a year older than Bella. Jake was 3 years younger than me.

"Dude, you make me feel old." Emmett shook his head and ordered a shot. Jasper and I ordered them as well. We did not even notice the girls finish their set and make their ways over to us again. Just as the shots were placed infront of us, three small hands reached past my brothers and I and stole our shots away. We turned around, upset, to see the girls tap the glasses together and down our shots. We laughed at their faces as they handed the glasses back to us.

"What was that crap?" Rose asked, after a gulp of Emmett's beer, Alice was stealing Jazz's drink as well. Bella gave Jake a quick peck before stealing his drink. I caught myself wishing Jake was not here, and that she was leaning into me the way she did him. I shook my head and turned back to the others.

"That, my dears, was some nice JD. And I believe you all now owe us a shot." Emmett answered. Bella leaned onto her tip-toes to see the bartender. She pointed to all seven of us and smiled when he nodded the he knew what to grab.

"All your drinks are on the bar tonight, guys." The bartender said as he set 7 shot glasses infront of us. My brothers and I looked around confused.

"Welcome to our entourage, boys." Alice chirped as we each grabbed a shot glass and toasted.

....

BPOV

I watched my friends practically throw themselves at the new guys. Not just Alice and Rose, either. Jess and Lauren came to join us and they were all over them. Well, mainly all over Edward. I felt a little jealous of the way they could just casually run their hands through his hair or touch his arms. I didn't get it, I have Jake's arms around me, and I wanted the freedom to touch another man. I turned around and leaned up to give my boyfriend a kiss.

"You ok, babe? You are awfully quiet tonight." He asked me, looking honestly worried. I smiled up at him.

"I am fine. Lauren was just causing some drama before the show, is all." He nodded, Lauren caused drama all the time.

"What was it this time?"

"The normal wanting the band to do more. She knows Alice, Rose and I are not in this for fame and fortune, but she can't just enjoy it. And she is getting Jess on her side now too." I scoffed. We had all agreed when the band started that we were just in this for a good time. That was why we only did cover songs. Now, Jess and Lauren want more. Bigger stages, paying gigs, tour. I sighed to myself. Jake just laughed and kissed my forhead.

The night continued like usual. Drinking, laughing, having fun. Jake and I left before the brothers and Alice and Rose.

"The guys seem cool." Jake said on the ride home.

"Yea, I have hung out with them a few times at Rose and Alice's."

"The big one kind of scares me though." Jake laughed nervously and I had to hold my sides because I was laughing so hard.

"If there is one thing I have learned, its that Emmett is the biggest teddy bear ever. I actually saw him kill a fly, and then feel bad about it. Rose had to comfort him for like twenty minutes before he could move on." I chortled a little more about it as we climbed out of the car and started walking into our building.

It was a good memory. Emmett and Rose were sitting on the couch and a fly landed on the wall next to Rose. Emmett attempted to 'save her' and smacked the wall, effectively killing the fly. He then stared at his hand for a minute, looking pitiful. When Rose had asked what was wrong, he had shown her his hand and said, "I killed him. I have his blood on my hand." I had fallen off the chair I was on in laughter as Rose tried to find out what he had expected to happen when he 'saved her'. Apparently he had planned on scared his little bug friend, not killing him.

I was exhausted, like usual, as we walked up the stairs to the apartment. I tripped a few times, which Jake laughed at me for as he helped me up each time. When we finally made it up to our floor, I let Jake find his key as I leaned against the wall with my eyes closed. I suddenly felt his lips on mine and I smiled into the kiss.

"Let's get you to bed, Sleeping Beauty." I sighed as I openned my eyes.

"I need to shower first. I am not going to want to before work tomorrow."

"I need a shower, too." I giggled as Jake followed me into the bathroom.

.....

My alarm went off way too soon. I felt like I had just laid my head down before I heard the loud buzzing. I pulled myself from bed and threw on my work clothes. After kissing Jake goodbye, I grabbed my cell phone and headed out. It was about a ten minute walk from my apartment to the coffee shop I had been working at for about a year now.

When I walked into the store, I saw who I was working with today. Eric. He had been working here a little longer than I had, and we bonded pretty fast. He would not stop trying to hit on me when I first started, but after a few easy let-downs he got the point. I was so happy he had because now we were really good friends.

"Morning. How was the show last night?" He laughed when I walked in the door, I realized I had not brushed my hair before heading out, whoops.

"It was really good. Those new guys from Alice and Rose's building came by." He gave me a funny look. I raised an eyebrow back at him.

"You mean the guys that Rose and Alice are already in love with?" I laughed and nodded.

"Jake came, too." I heard him gasp. "What? Jake comes to our shows!" I defended my boyfriend, even if it _was_ the first show he had been to in a couple months.

"Let me guess, you informed him of the new guypals coming before he decided to come."

"No." I lied. Eric knew I lied. "Fine, I _may_ have sent him a text to let him know what was going on."

Eric laughed at me and finished setting up a display.

"New flavor?"

"Yup, mango espresso." I shuddered. The owner of our little coffee shop had crazy new flavors all the time.

"You try it yet?" He shook his head and I set to making a quick shot of it. We always tried it, always hated it. Maybe I would take some home to the guys, see how they like them. Would be good for a laugh.

The day went by pretty fast, no major issues. When I got off work Eric helped me load a couple to-go bags with snacks for the group and small cups with various crazy drinks. I had a few good drinks too, because the girls would shoot me if I did not bring home real coffee.

I decided to text Jake while I walked.

_I am running over to Alice and Rose's for a bit. See you when I get home._

I sent it off and continued my walk. The girls lived about fifteen minutes from my work. I got a text back pretty quickly.

_Ok, I am working a little late, so don't be surprised if I am not home when you get there. Love you._

I wrote a quick reply myself telling him to have fun at work and sent it off. When I got to their building, I took the elevator up. Walking past the guys place, I heard voices inside and tried to figure out if they were all there or just a couple. I heard two male voices and no female, so I knocked on the door and continued down to my friends place. I heard the door open shortly after I passed and I held up the to-go bags I had in one hand as I openned the door to apartment 56. I heard a shout back that food had arrived and footsteps following me.

Walking into the girl's living room, I saw Rose, Jasper and Alice watching television.

"Lucy, Im home!" I yelled in the most Ricky Ricardo voice I had.

I noted that they were all in pajama's still. When Edward and Emmett came through the door, they seemed to also still be in pajama's.

"Ok, did you all _just_ wake up, or am I interrupting pj day?"

"Pajama Party." Alice said matter of factly.

I pouted. "That means that I am over dressed."

"Would we let you be over-dressed?" Rose scoffed and pointed to a bag on the counter. The over night bag I had left at the bar - having not realized Jake would be at the show until after we got there. I did a little jump for joy and told them all they were not allowed to eat or drink anything until I got back.

I got back and saw Emmett had been banished from the kitchen, where the bags were. Apparently 4 adults were not able to watch him when he was so close to food, so they sent him off. I laughed as Rose, Alice and I carried everything out to the living room.

"Did you bring the whole store home with you?" Rose asked as she carried one of the bags. I had the other bag and Alice had the drinks.

"Imagine carrying all of this here." Alice set the drinks on the coffee table and sat back, waiting for her goodies like a good girl.

"Ok, so lets see. For Rose and Alice we have vanilla latte's, tea for Edward and Jasper. And a mocha brownie latte for Emmett." I handed out cups.

"Are all those extra drinks just for you?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no. That is a test I have for you boys. Alice and Rose should be able to guess what they are." I laughed, openning one of the bags of food. Rose and Alice shared evil looks with me.

After giving everyone a snack, I pulled out the extra taster cups I had brought with me as well. I set three in a line, and filled them with one of the crazy espresso choices.

"Ok, fellas. Taste." I leaned back, watching.

"WAIT!" Alice jumped up as the guys gave each other nervous glances. Alice disappeared for a second and came back with three glasses of water. "You might want something to rinse your mouth with after." She smiled at them.

The water seemed to make them even more nervous. Rose made a comment about growing a pair and that made them all seem to need to prove something. They downed the drinks like shots and the looks on their faces made us girls roll in laughter.

"What was that?" Jasper asked, taking a gulp of water.

"That was vile." Edward said after drinking some of his water.

Emmett just took a bite of his brownie I had brought for him to take the taste out of his mouth.

"That was..." I sniffed the cup. "Blueberry espresso."

"Blueberry? Who the hell makes blueberry espresso?" Jasper asked.

"Her boss. They like to experiment." Alice answered.

"Yea, and do not think you are getting out of trying these. We all have, so you have to. Let's just say it is a rite of passage." I laughed, they all gulped loudly at the several other cups of espresso they would be tasting.

After the blueberry, I had them all try the mango, strawberry, brownie, sugar cookie and pine cone espresso's.

"Pine cone? Who the hell thought up _pine cone_ as an espresso flavor?"

I shurgged at Edward. "That is our christmas espresso."

"I didn't mind pine cone so much, but that other one was _not _a brownie!" Emmett boomed, picking up what was left of his brownie to show what a brownie really looked like.

I set the rest of the snacks out on the table and we all sat around talking. I had not realized what time it was until I got a text from Jake asking if I was still at Alice and Rose's

I realized it was almost midnight and sent him one back saying I would head home soon.


	4. The Deal

RPOV

The next day

It was nice having the guys around. Well, except when Bella brings over espresso and gives it to Emmett. That boy is a handful normally, giving him several shot of expresso just made it worse! And, of course, Bella left just as the caffeine kicked in. Bitch. But it was a lot of fun, and it is obvious that Bella is getting used to the guys being around. She is always the most hesitant of us all, she keeps her distance from new people. Which is not a bad thing considering she has Jake, but at least now its not as awkward when she comes over and the guys are here.

I heard my phone buzz and I reached over to grab it from the stand by my bed.

_Im bored._

I checked and it was from Emmett. Rolling my eyes, I climbed out of bed and made my way over to the guys place. Emmett was sitting on the couch flipping through channels.

"You could not call? Or, heaven forbid, walk over?" I laughed as I flopped down next to him.

"Either way, you still ended up here. You want me, I know." He smirked at me then continued flipping through channels. I laughed, but did not deny it. Why deny the truth?

Jasper walked out of his room then, in just pajama bottoms. When he finished yawning, he saw me sitting there and jumped. His arms crossed over his chest as he stood there uncomfortably.

"Morning Jazz." I said sweetly. It was cute how nervous he was suddenly.

"Uh, morning. I will just... be right back." He ran back into his room and shut the door. A minute later Emmetts phone went off and he glanced at it.

"Hey, Rose... come with me for a second... I want to show you something." He jumped from his seat and mumbled, moving towards his room. I gave him a funny look, but followed - hey, if he wants me in his room, who am I to say no?

After a moment of him just staring at diferent things around his room, not sure what to show me, he picked up a shoe.

"MARY-ALICE!" I screamed running back into the living room. I got out there just as the front door shut and I ran after her. Emmett was following behind me.

I screamed her name again, as I watched Jasper's back disappear inside our apartment. Emmett and I followed them in and found them sitting on the sofa.

"Mary-Alice! We had a deal!" I yelled, standing over them. Jasper and Emmett were looking at each other nervously.

"I know! But, we were talking last night and fell asleep!" She tried to defend herself.

"Oh, and his shirt just magically disappeared at some point?" I glared at my best friend.

"I'm sorry!" We laughed at each other.

"You do know that bringing the evidence with you during your escape to our apartment only damns you more, right?"

"I know, but I didn't want to leave him behind. It's not his fault I cheated, you'd have probably hit him." Alice petted Jaspers head as she said this. I had to laugh at the looks on the brothers faces. Emmett was still holding his shoe, too.

"So, could someone explain this deal?" Jasper asked quietly.

"Nope." I was not about to tell them we made a deal about them. That would void the deal. Alice made a motion like she was zipping her lips.

"Ok, that is not fair. This deal involves us, obviously, and we don't get to know?" Emmett asked, pointing his shoe at Alice and I.

I shook my head. "You especially, because as soon as we leave, she is probably going to tell him." Alice giggled.

I laughed at Emmetts pout. "Come on shoe-boy. Let's give them some privacy." I pulled the bear out of our apartment and back to his. When we got back to the other apartment, Edward was up and making himself some breakfast. Emmett quickly compained about starvation and his brother promised to feed him. We heard Emmetts phone ring and he ran off to get it while I watched Edward cook.

I heard Emmett greet the person who was calling and assumed it was his girlfriend by the 'Hey babe.' I leaned against the counter, trying to stop the scowl from my face

"You ok?" I had almost forgotten Edward was right infront of me.

I nodded.

"Ok, so ten minutes ago, you were screaming and laughing at Alice, now you are pouting. Yet, you are ok." He raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed loudly and glanced at the doorway where Emmett had been standing before that wench called. Edward laughed at me.

"You know, that was not actually his girlfriend calling." My head snapped to Edward as my eyes narrowed. "That was not her ringtone. Which just makes me think he is trying to make you jealous." I did not want to believe it.

"What _is_ her ring tone? So that I do know when to pout?" He laughed at me and continued cooking.

.....

APOV

When Rose and Emmett left, I scooted closer to Jasper. His arm instantly went around my back as a cuddled close to him.

"So, what's this deal?" He glared at me playfully.

"We made a deal that we would wait to make a move on you two." I said simply. That was the gist of our deal. The waiting was only because Emmett was still dating that whore Kate. Jazz had told me last night about how Kate cheated on Emmett a lot and used him. Emmett being the sweet guy that he is, keeps giving her chances. I looked up at Jasper and smiled.

"Really?" He pulled his phone out and dialled a number quickly. I heard Emmetts voice on the other side saying 'Hey babe.' Jasper laughed at him.

"I know the deal." Emmett tried to convince Jazz to tell him, but we wanted to see how this all played out. Well, Jazz did, I wanted my best friend happy.

Just as Jazz hung up his phone, the front door flew open and Bella flew in. She looked at Jazz and me before telling him to leave. I pouted but she said she needed a 'band meeting'. Rose walked in the door right as my hunk of man left, so I figured Bella had sent her a text.

"Don't we need the full band for a band meeting?" Rose asked, sitting in the overstuffed chair we had. Bella sat next to me on the couch.

"Not when this meeting has to do with the other members." Bella pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. "Ok, so, how do you two feel about the band? Do you agree with Lauren that we need to go on the road and such?"

"No, I am very happy with things how they are. Especially if the guys start coming to our shows regularly." Rose agreed with me.

Bella went into what if we removed the two negative pieces of our happy little puzzle and continued as a three-man band. We agreed with her and decided Rose would stay on drums, and play the keyboard when we needed that. I would handle bass and Bella would take over guitar and singing. I started to protest the fact that I was the only one with just one job in the band, but the only other thing I know is guitar and its hard to play both at once. I know, I tried it before.

When we finished our little band meeting, we headed over to the guys place. They had settled on a show on disney channel. I have no idea how they ended up there, but they did.

"Band meeting over?" I nodded as I took a seat next to Jazz.

"I have a question girls." We all looked at Edward. "How did you come up with the name _The Shoppers_?"

Bella answered quickest. "Alice shops for clothes, Rose shops for cars, Lauren shops for everything, Jess shops for guys and I shop for songs." She shrugged.

.....

EdPOV

The girls hung out at our place for a while. Bella left first, to go to work. Things seemed to be settling into an easy way of life. I liked having these new friends. It made the move from home easier. I just wish Bella did not have a boyfriend.


	5. Cheater

BPOV

A few weeks later

Here I was, sitting on Alice and Rose's couch in a skimpy nightgown at 2 in the morning. The only thing that made this diferent from most pajama parties is that I am crying my eyes out, while my two best friends watch, unsure of what to say. Well, and the fact that I am in a skimpy nightgown, instead of my cute pajama's. How did this happen, you may ask. Here is how:

I had gotten myself into the habit of hanging out at the girls place a lot over the past couple weeks. And by a lot I mean after every show, usually after work and sometimes even before work. I spent the night regularly, having pajama parties seemed to be an every day thing. I had several pairs stashed at their apartment. About a week after our 'band meeting' we had talked to Jess and Lauren. We had told them that it was nothing personal, but we were fine with the band staying how it was. They could leave if they wanted, to try for more. They chose to leave, no shock there. But life had been a little less dramatic without them.

I felt bad at first for spending so much time away from Jake, but he started working more, so that made me feel better. He was not sitting around our place by himself, at least. We sent text messages a lot too, so its not like we didn't talk. I admit, it felt a little like high school. Oh well.

I realized how much time I spent at Alice and Rose's when I stopped by after work and saw a note on the kitchen counter saying they had all gone to get some pizza's and would be back soon. I was no longer just a guest from time to time. I was an expectation. I left their drinks and snacks on the counter and wrote a quick note back to them saying I was spending the night with my neglected boyfriend. And I went home.

I decided that tonight would be romantic. Jake and I had barely had alone time in several weeks now, and I missed him. So, on my way home I stopped and picked up a bottle of wine. I had sent him a text at work saying I would be at the girl's place until late most likely, so this would be a nice little surprise for him.

I got home and started trying to make the apartment romantic. Candles, inscense, everything I could think of. I put on some soft music and went to my dresser to find the right outfit. I decided on a nice little red number. It had thin straps and black lace trimmed the top and bottom. It stopped about mid-thigh with a nice six inch split on the side. I put on my one and only pair of black strappy heels - I am a clutz, I do not buy shoes that I can kill myself in normally. I decided to throw on a little make-up, just some eye liner, mascara, and lipstick. Not long after I had changed, I heard Jake's key in the door, so I leaned against the wall in the hallway. He would see me once he got a few feet into the apartment.

I heard his voice outside but could not tell what he was saying. Suddenly, I heard a very feminine laughter with him. I took a couple steps forward as the door openned and he walked in with a tall brunette. She had a deep tan, and I instantly recognized her as one of the girls from his work. They were holding hands and I watched him turn back and kiss her. They stopped when they saw me. Stopped walking, stopped talking. Probably stopped breathing, too.

"Jake?" My voice was very shakey.

I heard him mutter a swear word under his breath.

"Maybe I should go..." The girl said, taking a step back.

"No." I surprised myself when my voice did not shake this time. "Jake, what is going on?"

"It's nice to see you decided to come home for once." I took a step back at the anger in his voice. _He_ was mad at _me._

The next two hours flew by with a lot of screaming and crying. I finally had enough and grabbed my coat and cell phone and left. I was not sure where to go at first, but before I realized it, I was standing outside the building I had spent the last several weeks all but living in. I decided tonight I would take the stairs. Almost half-way up I tripped on a small landing and sat where I was, crying for a few minutes. I ripped off my stupid, strappy shoes and flung them. I pulled myself up again and continued up.

When I got to their floor I yanked the door to the hallway open and almost ran into someone. After mumbling a sorry, I made my way down to apartment 56. I openned the door and walked into the living room. It was empty. So I walked back into the hallway and down two doors. I stood there for a minute, just staring at the door.

I could hear voices inside. For a second, I wondered how I looked. I had to be a mess. I openned the door slowly and walked towards the voices. They were in the middle of some sort of debate. Edward suddenly came into view at the end of the small hallway to their living room, he must have heard the door open.

"Bella?" He asked anxiously. He took a step towards me before everyone else came into view. I felt my knees hit the ground as my body crumpled to the pain. Suddenly Alice and Rose were at my side.

"Bella? What happened?"

"Are you ok?"

"Emmett! Carry her over to our place!"

"No I got her."

I felt myself be lifted and didn't fight what was happening. Their voices all blended together. I was carried back to apartment 56 and set down on the sofa. Alice and Rose had all the guys leave so they could talk to me.

"Bella, honey, what happened?" Alice's small voice was right next to me. Rose kneeled infront of me.

"He has been cheating on me." My voice was just a whisper now. I heard them both gasp. "For months now. With a girl from his work."

"That asshole." Rose was angry now. I reached out and touched her arm.

"I threw a vase at him." I smiled weakly. "Guess I just wasted five years of my life. No, six. Our anniversary is in a month. Or, it was."

I told them everything. How I had tried to make things romantic. How Jake and I had just screamed at each other. How he and Leah - I had remembered her name during the screaming - had started dating about 4 months ago. He had tried to blame the affair on my spending more time with my friends at first, but I quickly pointed out the time line did not match up. He admitted he had cheated before, too. I told them about my walk over here. When I got to the part about throwing my shoes in the stairwell, Alice looked like she wanted to run and find them. I told her to go, Rose was here, and the guys would want an explaination. When Alice ran off, Rose sat next to me and just held me as I cried. I fell asleep in the arms of one of my best friends.

.....

EdPOV

When we got back with the pizza's, we found the note and goodies Bella had left behind for us. There was no denying the pang of jealous that hit when Rose read us the note. We decided to take everything back over to apartment 54 and watch a movie.

When we got there, Alice and Emmett got into a big argument on what movie to watch. Rose, Jazz and I just sat on the couch, eating pizza and watching the new entertainment. Once they had settled their argument, we put in Alice's movie pick and all settled back to enjoy the movie.

We got about twenty minutes in before Emmett started mocking the movie. I could not blame him, Alice _had_ picked a chick-flick. When that movie ended, Emmett jumped up and put in his choice. Typical Emmett movie - one of those really bad idiot comedies. It did not take long before Alice and Rose both started making fun of it. They were in the middle of a heated debate on movie choices when I heard the door open. I got up to see who it was. My heart broke when I saw Bella standing there. She was barefoot, with a long coat on over a little red and black nightgown. Normally, I would have stared at her exposed skin, but her face pulled me away. Her hair was a mess, and the little bit of make-up she had on was running down her cheeks. Her face was contorted in pain.

"Bella?" I asked, taking a step towards her. When I said her name, everyone else snapped out of the debate and jumped over to me.

Before anyone could move, she fell to her knees, like her legs just could not hold her up any longer. Alice and Rose ran to her.

"Bella? What happened?"

"Are you ok?"

"Emmett! Carry her over to our place!"

"No I got her." I walked forward before my brother could and lifted her in my arms. I watched the tears run down her face as I carried her back to the girls' place. After I set her on the couch, Rose said for us to leave so she and Alice could talk to her.

I wanted to stay, but knew it would be easier for Bella if she was just with her best friends right now. My brothers and I went back to our place to wait. All three of us standing in the kitchen, not talking. Not sure what to say. Whatever happened had to do with Jake, I wanted to kill him right now.

About an hour later, our front door openned again. We had moved to the living room and were now staring at the television. Not really watching, just staring. Or at least, I was just staring. Alice walked in with a pair of shoes in her hand.

"How is she?" Jasper asked, walking over to her. For the first time since I had met her, Alice looked really mad.

"Devestated." She said as she sat on the couch. A couple minutes later Rose walked in.

"She is asleep. Did you tell them?" She asked, sitting on the floor next to the chair Emmett was in. Jasper and Alice were on the sofa with me. Alice shook her head no.

"He has been cheating on her." Jasper had to take the shoes out of Alice's hands. When Rose spoke, Alice had started to pull on the straps, almost pulling them off the shoe itself.

"That ass had been cheating on her four the past several months. He tried to blame you guys for it." We all stared at Alice in shock. "But it started well before you all moved in."

"I want to kill him. Do you think Bella would mind too much?" Rose asked no one in particular.

The girls told us the whole story. By the end I was seeing red. Part of me felt guilty for thinking about wishing Bella was single before. Seeing her in pain like she was tonight was not something I ever wanted to see again.


	6. note

**A/N:**

**Hello! I just wanted to write my first a/n for this story and say thanks to leftcookie, gigglerose, and hyper kid007! Thanks for reading my story and deciding you want to read more of it.  I hope to keep updating fast, so stay tuned for more!**

**Also, to anyone who is reading this story, please review! It keeps me going when I get feedback. Good, bad, indifferent – just let me know! I will also probably ask for suggestions for things in the future so let me know what you think!**

**3 Ap**


	7. Awakening

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews and adds! I am loving it all! hehe. Well, just wanted to say sorry I did not get this chapter up as fast as the last couple, and the next one will be up in a couple days, too. **

**I am having a slight issue right now. See, my brother has epilepsy, and so he is not supposed to have much caffiene. Well, today I saw him drinking regular pepsi, so I yelled at him. He let me hit him once, so I slapped his back pretty hard. Well, too hard I guess, cuz I bruised two of my fingers. lol He is fine - the punk - but my fingers are nice and blue and sore. lol smooth move AP. :-)**

**Well, back to writing this story! I have quite a few ideas that I am going to work in soon. Enjoy!**

**Don't forget to review!**

BPOV

The next several days passed by in a blur for me. I had to work the day after I basically moved onto Rose and Alice's couch, but I was quickly sent home from that and told to take a little vacation. When I had gotten into work, I was working with a couple girls whom I was not very good friends with. One made a comment about Jake and I went into hysterics, basically. They had called Eric, who rushed into the store and drove me back to Alice and Rose's.

Ever since then, I stayed in the apartment and wallowed. Edward was the only one who spent any real time around me. He brought me food that I barely touched and listened to my wallowing music with me. He let me cry on his shoulder and vent out all of my anger.

On the fourth day, I had my awakening. Alice and Rose let me wallow for three full days, then they threw me into the shower - fully dressed - and turned the water on. See, my wallowing had included a lack of general hygiene. I had not showered since the day Jake and I broke up. Since I still had pajama's at their apartment, I had changed out of my nightgown and thrown it away. They yelled that I was stinking up their place, and it was time to start moving on.

During my three days I had ignored all phone calls except for the girls, Eric and Edward. I had also received many text messages from Eric, Edward, and Jake. The first two I could respond to. That last one though... I started out ignoring him, then tried to talk to him, then ignored him again when all we did was argue. I was in hell, really.

That fourth day, Edward and I were sitting in the living room with some soft classical music playing as background noise. We were sitting cross legged on the floor facing each other, me with a plate of cold eggs and toast, him yelling at me in the nicest way possible that I needed to eat _something_. When suddenly, the front door burst open and Alice and Rose stormed into the living room.

"Move, Edward. It's time." Rose said, rolling up the sleeves to her shirt.

"You can't even let her eat something?" He ask my very unhappy best friends.

"We have given her three full days to wallow. She is stinking up our apartment now. I do not know how you spend so much time around her like this." Alice scoffed.

I sat there, glancing between all three of them. Apparently, I was a major topic of discussion lately. I looked back to my plate and tore a corner off a piece of toast. I heard Edward sigh right before four hands grabbed my arms. I was literally dragged into the bathroom and thrown into the shower. I screamed out when the water started and tried to jump out.

"Let me at least take off my clothes!" I yelled at the two who were guarding me now.

"They need a good cleaning, too." Rose blocked my attempt to leave the shower.

"You hold her in there and make sure she starts washing while I go grab her some clothes." Alice turned and left the small bathroom.

I gave up trying to leave and just shut the shower curtain, throwing my now wet clothes over the bar to Rose. When Alice came back, they left me alone to shower, but I was pretty sure they were waiting right outside the door. I finished my shower, and I had to admit being clean made me feel a little better.

The clean clothes made me feel a little better, too. Wallowing is really only any fun when you go all out, being clean with fresh clothes was already killing the joy I got out of it. After brushing my hair, I made my way out into the living room. The other two guys had joined us now, and Alice was spraying the whole place with febreaze. I started feeling guilty for stinking up the place.

"I guess I should go get my stuff from the apartment now."

Alice and Rose nodded and started to move to go with me, but I stopped them.

"He should be at work, let me do this on my own." I sighed. I needed to get my little bit of closure with the apartment I had called home for a while now.

They did not like the idea, though.

"I will go with her. I will take the jeep so she only has to make one trip." Edward offered, and I realized I _would_ need a vehicle to carry everything back.

Rose and Alice agreed to this, and we were on our way. When we pulled up to the building, I looked around for Jake's car. When I did not see it, I let out a breath but just sat there.

"You do know that in order to get your things, you need to get out of the car right?" Edward joked.

"Yes, I am aware. Just a little nervous. It will be weird, going in there now." I laughed a little, then sighed.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He looked so concerned, I wondered how I ever did not trust him.

"If you don't mind. I _should_ be able to do this alone, but I don't want to." He nodded and we both climbed out of the jeep.

.....

EdPOV

Bella and I were sitting on the floor wallowing. I wallowed with her now. At first I was just there for support, but about half-way through day two, I started wallowing, too. I had nothing to wallow for, though. Which just made it weird, but I could not help. I suppose spending time with someone who was not depressed would have helped me, but I only wanted to be around her.

When Alice and Rose came into the apartment, I was a little grateful. Wallowing would be over soon. But I wondered if Bella and I would spend nearly as much time together once she no longer needed someone to lean on. _I_ felt our friendship grow, but did she?

I wanted her to eat the food I had made for her, but her friends had no intentions of waiting for that. I did not blame them, though. We had been staring at her eggs and toast for about 45 minutes now. Over the past few days Bella had lost a little weight. Not much, because three days was not long enough, but she was down a path that would not end well if we let it go. So, I had agreed last night when Rose and Alice had confronted me. Wallowing with her was not helping much. I think even I had lost a couple pounds from how little we ate.

They were a bit more aggressive about everything then I would have been, but they did know her better than I did.

While she was in the shower my brothers showed up.

"Good Lord, what died in here?" Emmett's deep voice boomed as he walked in the door. Jasper was right behind him with the febreaze.

I glared at my brothers. At least Bella was not out here to feel worse about how the last couple days had gone now that they were being rude. Well, Jazz was just trying to help - Alice had been complaining. Emmett was just tactless.

"How could you stand this, lover-boy?" It was Rose who spoke this time. She was standing right infront of the bathroom door now as Alice ran in to set clothes down for Bella.

"I was sort of wallowing, too. I did not notice the smell." I shrugged. It was true.

They all gave me funny looks as Alice took the febreaze from Jasper and started going through the entire apartment with it.

"Are you ever going to tell her that you like her?" Rose asked me.

"We are just friends." I shrugged and heard Emmett snort. I turned to glare at him. "Besides, right now is not the best time. She just broke up with Jake, she needs friends, not another guy throwing himself at her." I sighed.

Right then, the bathroom door openned and Bella stepped out. She already looked much better. Being out of pajamas seemed to help keep her from wallowing, and being clean in general gave her some color. She looked around hesitantly, looking at every silent face in the room.

"I guess I should go get my stuff from the apartment now." She looked at the floor as she spoke. Alice and Rose started to move to go with her but she stopped them.

"He should be at work, let me do this on my own." She sighed.

They did not like the idea, though.

"I will go with her. I will take the jeep so she only has to make one trip." I offered. Having a vehicle _would_ help her, but I also just wanted more time alone with her.

Rose and Alice agreed to this, and we were on our way. We pulled up to the building, and Bella looked around the parking lot, for Jake's car, I assumed. When she did not see it, she let out a breath but just sat there.

"You do know that in order to get your things, you need to get out of the car right?" I joked, trying to lighten things up. She seemed really worried about doing this.

"Yes, I am aware. Just a little nervous. It will be weird, going in there now." She laughed a little, then sighed.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I watched her, she seemed to nervous about doing this.

"If you don't mind. I _should_ be able to do this alone, but I don't want to." I nodded and we both climbed out of the jeep.

This really _was_ going to be a bit weird. Here I am, falling for a girl, and I am about to go into the apartment she has shared with another man. I could not shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen today. I glanced around the parking lot warrily.


	8. Moving Out

**A/N: Hello again! Ok, this one did not take too long to write, and I am happy to get it out fast. Yay! It has three POV's instead of the usual 2, and it**** is not a happy chapter, but much happier ones are coming soon, I promise! **

**Enjoy! And please review! The reviews make me all warm and fuzzy inside! :-D**

BPOV

Edward and I made the trek up to the third floor in silence. I just wanted to get my stuff and leave. We got to the door, and I unlocked it with shaking hands. I tried not to look around too much as we walked through the apartment and into the bedroom.

I quickly pulled a suitcase from the closet and we started throwing clothes into it. Edward started at the closet, folding things nicely as he placed them in, while I just yanked things out of the dresser and threw them into the bag. It was fairly big, and I did not have much of a variety of clothes, so we quickly got everything stuffed in it.

Edward took the bag and a couple paintings of mine down to the jeep while I searched for a box to throw other things in. When he came back, he was carrying a decent sized box that someone had thrown out. The box had a picture of a stereo system on the side, so I mentally thanked whoever had recently purchased it.

There was not much for Edward to do at this point, because he had no clue what was mine in the apartment and what was Jake's.

"Hey, do you think you can carry the television down? I bought that a couple months ago." The T.V. was not big, so I did not feel too bad about asking him to take it by himself.

"Yea, no problem." He moved quickly over and started unplugging things as I glanced around the living room.

I moved over to the shelves we had that were covered in movies and music. I started picking through the cases, pulling out mine. I heard someone walk into the room a minute later.

"That did not take long. I am almost done filling this box, and then we are just about done here." I said without turning around. I heard the front door shut and the click of the lock. When I turned around, my heart stopped.

"What are you doing, Bella?" Jake asked me.

"You should be at work."

"You can't leave me, Bella." I watched the pain cross Jake's face. I closed my eyes. "I made a mistake. An awful mistake. I feel horrible, and I will do anything I can to fix this."

I heard him take a step towards me, and my reflex reaction was to step back, away from him. I opened my eyes when I heard him sigh.

"I can't do this Jake. You did not just cheat on me once, you did it more and you did it with multiple girls. I cannot be with someone who thinks so little of our relationship." My voice was very soft, almost a whisper.

He took another step towards me, and my back hit the shelf as I stepped back, again.

"I love you, Bella. I can't live without you." His voice broke as he spoke.

We both heard as Edward came to the door again, he tried to open the door. When he found it locked, he knocked.

"Bella?" He called.

I looked back at Jake. He looked angry now.

"I guess you moved on fast." The acid in his words made me try to step back again, only to hit the shelf again.

"You don't know what you are talking about. I was actually in love with the man I was living with, or who I thought he was. I have nothing left to say to you, Jake. Just let me get my things and go." I started out glaring at him, but as I spoke, I softened. I missed wallowing.

"No!" Jake practically yelled. Edward heard him this time, and the knocking on the door became a pounding.

Jake took two long strides towards me and his hands wrapped around my arms.

"You cannot leave me, Bella. I can't live without you. I won't let you go without a fight."

I tried to push him away, but he was much stronger than I was. Suddenly, his lips crashed onto mine, and all movement stopped. I heard Edward trying to get in the door, still. My arms fell limp beside me, my eyes stared at Jake's closed ones, and my lips did not move. This was not the man I had fallen in love with.

Jake did not seem to want to accept my unwillingness, and his hands left my arms to run through my hair. I took the opportunity to shove him as hard as I could. He staggered back a little, in surprise. At the same time, the front door flew open and Edward rushed in.

I am not sure when happened next, because everything tilted to a funny angle then went black.

EdPOV

Bella asked me to take her tiny television down to the jeep, so I did. I wanted to be quick, the bad feeling I had was just getting stronger the longer we were here. So I practically ran downstairs, threw the T.V. in the back of the jeep and started back up. If my little toss damaged the T.V., I would just buy her a new one.

When I got back upstairs, the door was locked. Weird. I knocked a couple times and called out to Bella, but did not get a response. I figured she must want some alone time to say goodbye to the apartment.

I stood outside for a couple minutes, leaning against the wall. I decided to try and knock again, I was getting anxious. I was mid-knock when I heard a loud, very male "No!" from inside the apartment. I instantly recognized it to be the voice of Jacob, I remembered the husky sound of his voice when we met him that first time at the bar.

My knocking became pounding. I did not want Bella to have to deal with Jacob on her own. I realized I was going to have to basically break down the door to get in there. I stepped back really quick to send a text to Jasper. I was not sure what I would find when I got in there.

After the text was sent off, I started throwing my shoulder into the door. I felt it start to give way, and I threw myself into it one more time, as hard as I could. As the door flew open, I ran inside. Jake was standing right in front of Bella, his hands in her hair. Bella looked like she had a few tears running down her cheeks, then I watched as her eyes rolled back, and she fell to the ground. Jake just turned to face me, his shocked expression turned to anger.

"Get the hell out of our apartment!" He yelled at me.

"As much as I would love to, I am not leaving without her." I nodded towards the girl who was on the floor next to him. He turned and took a step towards me.

The anger was all that showed in his face now. I tensed myself for a fight.

APOV

Jasper and I were sitting in the living room of The Vagina Apartment – that was the name Emmitt had made up for mine and Rose's apartment. Especially with Bella moving in now, we had three girls and three guys. The Vagina Apartment, and The Penis Apartment. Emmitt Cullen is a truly odd person.

We were in the middle of watching Jasper's favorite movie – Saving Private Ryan – when his phone went off. He looked at who the text was from and sat up a little straighter.

"Who is it?" I asked. Whoever it was, I did not like them for disturbing peaceful Jazz-Ali time.

"Edward." He said as he flipped it open and read the text. He handed me the phone as he jumped up and ran out the front door. I watched him go in shock, then looked own at the phone.

_Jake is here. He locked me out. Bring Emmitt._

I shut the phone and ran after Jasper to the other apartment. As I ran in the door, I saw Rose standing alone in the living room, looking just as confused as I did.

"Jake showed up." I said to her, just as Emmitt and Jasper came out of one of the bedrooms.

"Alice, can you drive a car over there? Rose can you run there with Em and I? We don't know where it is, and need to get there fast. I want more than one car there incase we need it." Jasper spoke quickly. We just nodded our heads and left the apartment. I ran back to mine and Rose's and grabbed a set of keys as they ran to the elevator.

I ran down the hall and watched as they stepped onto the elevator. I followed them in and we all stood silently as it went down. The tension was thick.

They got off on the first floor while I continued down to the garage. I ran across the parking lot, to the bright yellow Porsche that was sitting in its normal parking space. I had the keys in the ignition as I climbed in, ignoring my seatbelt all together.

I drove as fast as I could, but traffic in New York only allows so much speed. When I pulled up, I jumped out and ran up to the third floor and down to the opened door that I knew was the correct apartment.

I stepped inside and my heart lurched. Jasper and Emmitt were holding Jake and Edward away from each other. They each had a bit of blood on their faces, but what really caught my attention was Rose. She was kneeling over Bella, who was passed out on the ground. I rushed over to them.

"Is she O.K.?" I asked frantically.

"I think so. Looks like she just passed out."

I helped Rose lift Bella and we took her out into the hallway. It would be best if one of the guys carried her down the stairs. I glanced back into the apartment, but my attention was pulled away from the shouting guys as I heard a mumble come from Bella. Her head rolled back and forth slowly as she came to.

"Rose? Alice? What happened? Where am I?" She glanced at us, confused.

"We are in the hallway, Jake showed up while you and Edward were packing your things." Rose said softly.

"Are you O.K.?" I asked, just as quietly.

Bella nodded, then started to move to get up. Rose and I held her down.

"I need to finish getting my things." She argued with us.

"What do you need? I will get it for you." Her eyes settled on me as she nodded.

She nodded and told me she was just finishing getting her movies and cd's when Jake showed up. I ran inside and saw the large box, almost full, next to the shelf with their movies and music.

I noted that the cases on the shelf were a mess and some had fallen onto the floor. Running over, I quickly threw anything that looked like something she would like into the box and sealed it.

"Hey Emmitt, can you carry this box down to the jeep?" I asked the bear who was holding back his brother. He nodded and let go of Edward's arms.

"Where is Bella?" Edward asked. I lead him out to the hallway.

He kneeled down next to her.

"Bella, are you O.K.?" His voice dripped with concern for her. She nodded and we all watched as Emmitt carried the box out of the apartment.

"Can you walk?" Rose asked her. I helped her stand and she started to take a step but the dizziness seemed to take over and she fell into Edward. He quickly scooped her up. He and Rose started towards the stairs as I walked back into the apartment.

Jasper was still holding Jacob back and we waited for everyone else to be outside before he and I left Jake alone in the living room. As we were leaving, I turned back. Jasper was ahead of me, so he did not notice me stop.

"If I see you around her again, I will kill you myself. I saw the bruises forming on her arms where you grabbed her. Do it again, I dare you." I turned and left before he could respond.


	9. Grocery Store 500

**A/N: Hey guys! Ok, so I just posted the last chapter like 2 hrs ago. I am trying to keep things rolling smoothly, but work and life interrupt sometimes. So sorry for when it takes a little time in between chapters! :-D**

**Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed and I am honored people are reading this and liking it! :-D I am enjoying writing it, and it will be more fun soon. Once I finish up the rest of the Jake stuff, we will be onto happier times. More time with the Cullen's and all that jazz!**

**This chapter is going to be a bit more comical – well, hopefully you all find it comical! – just to off-set the fun of last chap.**

**Ok, enjoy and review! **

EmPOV

Once Alice and Jazz joined us at the cars, we left. I wanted to punch that ass while we were in the apartment, and I am guessing that is why Jazz held him. If it were me, I'd have thrown in a few good hits for good measure.

Eddie was not happy with how things went down, so I figure he is going to be protective of Bella for a while.

We made it back to our building and everyone helped carry things up to The Vagina Apartment – or VA as I shall now refer to it. It only took a couple trips, Bella really does not have much.

Alice and Rose had us throw everything in the spare room they have. I do not get why Bella sleeps on their couch when there is a perfectly good bedroom. Sure, there is no bed in it… maybe that's why she sleeps on the couch. I don't know. Anyways, we dumped all the crap in there and decided we needed food.

Bella wanted to make us all dinner, which I am guessing is just so she does not have time to sit and think. She thinks too much. That's why she and Eddie are perfect for each other. I am sure they would have fun just sitting around, thinking.

So we all decided to take a trip down to the grocery store a couple blocks away, so we could get stuff for Bella to cook.

"Hey Rose, did you know that male grizzly bears can reach up to ten feet tall?" I glanced at the lady walking beside me.

She laughed a little. "No, Emmitt, I did not." I shrugged and nodded. It's true.

Why did I just tell her that?

"Did you know that male polar bears can weigh up to fifteen hundred pounds?" This was not me spouting out more random knowledge on bears, this was Rose now. I stared at her in awe.

Bears are the best animals. Ever. End of story. They are beasts and they rule. I wish I were a bear…

I smiled at Rose and nodded. "I most definitely did know that." Jazz turned around to laugh at us.

"Emmitt is obsessed with bears. It is kind of sad really." He shook his head then turned back around to talk to Alice some more.

I made a face at him but he was not looking. Whatever, he wishes he was cool like me. We finally made it to the grocery store and we all split up. Bella and Eddie went straight to the fruits and veggies, I already dislike this meal.

I have no idea where Alice and Jazz went off to, oh well. Rosie and I made our way to the bakery. I made my way over to the cake display, not sure if she was following me.

The cake display here was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. We did not have these things back home. The display was a tall case with several round shelves. On the shelves were multiple cakes, different types, all just hanging out. And the best part of this display is that the shelves, yea, they spin. They spin! They move around so you can see all of the amazing cake deliciousness!

"Emmitt, why are we watching cakes go in a circle?" I heard Rose chuckle next to me.

So, she_ did _follow me. She wants me.

"Because they are awesome."

She rolled her eyes and walked to a nearby table, looking at other baked foods. I stared at the cakes for a couple more seconds then followed her.

"Cherry, apple or peach?" She was staring at an assortment of pies. I stood next to her, weighing out the pro's and con's of each pie.

"Peach."

She laughed. "Be careful not to hurt yourself by other thinking this."

I scowled at her. Pie is nothing to joke about. She picked up the peach pie and we headed off to find the others.

EdPOV

Bella and I wandered the produce department first, we needed to find the right vegetables for dinner. After we picked out a few, we headed to the meat department.

"Should we have chicken or beef?" She was staring at some chicken breasts as she spoke.

"Well, Emmitt can eat an entire cow himself, but chicken always seems to fill him up faster for some reason."

"Chicken it is." She smiled as she handed me a couple wrapped packages of chicken breasts.

Then we decided to go pick out a cake mix for tonight, too.

"I need to run back to produce, can you go find everyone else?" She smiled up at me after picking up a box of white cake mix. I nodded, knowing where my brother would be.

I walked away from her, and towards the bakery. Emmitt is obsessed with the cake display, I have to admit it is pretty cool, but he could stare at it for hours.

As I rounded the corner at the end of the isle, I almost ran Jasper. He and Alice were caring a few items themselves, and right behind them were Emmitt and Rosalie.

"Did you lose Bella?" Alice asked, leaning around me, looking for her best friend.

"She just ran to produce again for something. She is making cake tonight, too."

"But, we grabbed pie." Emmitt almost whined.

"Oh, well, we always need more food when you are involved." I smiled at his now grinning face.

"Ok, we got everything?" Bella appeared behind me, carrying a basket now.

"White cake? Who eats just plain white cake?" Emmitt rolled his eyes, but I watched Rose and Alice light up.

"White cake?" Alice squeaked out.

"Does that mean…?" Rose trailed off and Bella just smiled.

Now I am intrigued. I was a bit doubtful of the white cake mix when Bella picked it up, but she had insisted on it.

We made our way through the check-out lines. Well, Jasper and Emmitt wanted to race through the self-check out. So, each of them and Bella – she wanted in on the fun – got situated at a scanner and waited for Rose to tell them to start.

"Ladies and gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen." Alice spoke in one of those fake announcer voices. "It's time for the grocery store 500. Gentlemen and Bella – start your engines!"

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!" Rose shouted next.

"And they are off! Jasper seems to have an early lead, but it's close. Now Emmitt is neck and neck with Jasper, Bella trailed by a box. Emmitt seems to be held up with weighing a vegetable –"

"How did you get him to buy something healthy?" I asked Rose during Alice's play-by-play.

"It's mine." I nodded. That sounds more like it.

"- and Jasper is having trouble with a barcode that is not reading. Bella has now caught up with them and is steadily taking the lead. Jasper has gotten past the barcode and is now moving forward faster than before. Emmitt has moved past his healthy food and onto his beloved baked goods. What is this? Bella is now paying and all she has to do it wait for her receipt. Jasper is now paying and so is Emmitt. The winner is Bella!" Alice and Rose erupted in applause as Bella bowed. Jasper ripped his receipt off the printer walked over to us. Emmitt was just pouting now.

We made our way back out to the street and started on our way back to the apartments now.

"So, where is dinner tonight? VA or PA?" Emmitt asked no one in particular.

"Virginia or Pennsylvania?" Bella asked the question that I am sure we were all thinking.

"Huh?" That was my brother's genius response.

"Va or Pa?" She went with the shortened names he had used, trying to figure it out.

"Oh, yea, Vagina Apartment or Penis Apartment?" I coughed out a laugh as Jasper hung his head.

"Since when do the apartments have these names?" Bella asked, clearly amused with my idiot brother.

"Since Emmitt here named them the other day." Rose laughed.

"I like it. It is better than just using numbers. It distinguishes the two." Bella really should not encourage Emmitt. It is not safe.

"I am _so_ referring to them as Virginia and Pennsylvania from now on." Alice chirped, laughing at the newest of names for our apartments.

I looked at Jasper and we both shook our heads at the rest of our group. This was quite an interesting set of people.

**A/N: Hello again! Ok, so this chapter is a little shorter than the last couple. Sorry! I think I am keeping up good progress lately, a couple chapters a week. Yay! I will try to keep up the pace! I felt an Emmitt POV would make things interesting. He is fun to write. Let me know what you think! Did I do good with Emmitt? The chapter did not have any real substance to it, just a fun little glimpse at group dynamics. :-D I hope you all liked it!**


	10. Dinner Party

**A/N: Hey-lo guys! Ok, so this chapter is out _a lot_ faster than I thought it would be. I just wrote it on my lunch break at work. Lol. So, I hope you like it! Again, not much to it, but some more group dynamics. Good times had by the awesome 6.**

**Also this chapter just had some background info on them. I hope you all like it!!**

**Read and review!**

JPOV

I still cannot believe Bella beat me at the grocery store. I mean, really? Sigh.

We are back at the apartment now, we decided that we would have dinner in Pennsylvania tonight. Bella had to stop off at the girl's place to grab some cooking things. You know, a pan, a pot, utensils… that kind of stuff.

We are men, men do not make elaborate meals for each other, so of course we do not have what she needs. We do, however, have a very nice grill on the deck.

I am currently watching Bella cook, it is quite a learning experience. Edward would be the one with her, but he is currently keeping Emmett from the kitchen. Bella is quite skilled at cooking. She not only has the chicken in a pan frying, but she also has broccoli in a pot and potatoes and a cake in the oven.

She will get along great with us Cullen men. Emmett is not the only one who can eat.

"So, Jasper, how's work?" Bella asked as she flipped over a piece of chicken.

"It's work." I shrug. "I work in the mailroom, not much happens."

She methodically pulled one piece of chicken out of the oil and onto paper towels, then pulled open the oven to glance at her cake. Her cell phone buzzed on the counter nearby and she just ignored it.

"Are you O.K.?" I asked her after a silent moment.

"Yes." She turned to look at me and the mask she had put up softened a little. "No. I will be though. I just need time. A lot has happened, really fast. It is hard to keep up." She sighed then flipped another piece of chicken.

"If you ever need to talk, you know I am here." I smiled at her and she smiled back

"Thanks."

"Is the food ready?!" Emmett bellowed from the living room.

Bella rolled her eyes before responding. "Just give me five more minutes!" I could hear Emmett grumbling and laughed.

Five minutes later, we could hear Emmett and Edward fighting. Emmett fighting to make it to the kitchen, Edward fighting to hold him back. I poked my head out into the hall to see what was happening. Just as I looked, I saw two bodies flying towards me and I ducked back into the kitchen in time. The bodies of my brothers hurled into the door Edward was against it and Emmett took the opportunity to jump away from him and into the kitchen.

"Can I eat yet?" He anxiously watched Bella put the broccoli in a bowl and pulled the potatoes out of the oven.

"About that Em, you used violence to get to my food, so chef's rule that that means you have to get your food last." She smiled at him as his face fell.

"Dude, that is _so_ not cool." He pouted as the rest of us passed him to get food. Luckily, there are two entrances to our kitchen, so as we each grabbed food we were able to walk straight through without having to cross Emmett with full plates.

I took my plate out to the living room and sat on the floor by the coffee table. Alice quickly followed suit and sat next to me. Rose took her other side followed by Edward and Bella. By the time Emmett made it out, there was no more room at our make-shift dinner table. He just flopped onto the sofa and spread himself out while he ate.

"So, where did you guys – holy crap Bella, this is really good." Edward started asking the girls a question but stopped in the middle as he took his first bite.

"Thanks, it is a recipe my mother's husband gave me." She smiled.

We all took our turns praising her food before Edward started his question again.

"So, as I was saying, where did you guys all live before moving to The Big Apple?"

I scooped some potatoes up and chewed on them as I awaited their answers. My brothers and I had realized that even though we had spent a good amount of time with the girls since we moved here, we never got some of the basics about them.

"Rose and I moved here from Los Angeles. We grew up there together, and our parents got tired of us partying all the time and decided to get us away from the 'bad influences' we had back home." Alice shrugged as she spoke. Rose nodded in agreement.

Bella stood up to go check on her cake as she spoke.

"I was living with my mother in Phoenix and wanted a change. Dad lives in a small town up north and I did not want _that_ big of a change, so I decided the east coast was where to go. I put an ad in the newspaper when I met Jess and Lauren and we wanted to start a band. These two saw it, and the rest is history." She smiled at us as she walked back into the living room during the end of her little story.

"Where did you boys move from?" Rose asked us.

"A very little town called Forks, Washington." Edward said, I noticed Bella tense a little at the mention of it. Interesting.

BPOV

"A very little town called Forks, Washington." I heard Edward say the name and inhaled sharply. How could these guys be from Forks? That's where my dad lives. This is just weird.

"Our dad is the local doctor." Edward continued. Things just snapped into place in my mind. The incredibly attractive doctor at Forks Hospital is their father. The man has stitched me up so many times it is not even funny.

"That place sounds familiar… Bella, where does you dad live, again?" Alice asked, deep in thought.

"Yea, uhm, he lives near Forks, actually." I lied. Why am I lying about this? "I need to go ice the cake." I jumped up and ran to the kitchen. The cake was still way too warm to ice, but I flipped it over and out of the pan. It was something.

"Is everything O.K.?" It was Edward, of course. I kept my back to him.

"Yea." Even I could tell that was a lie. I turned around and smiled at him.

We walked back out to the living room and took our seats again.

"Hey Bella…" Emmett trailed off, staring a nothing as he thought. "What is your last name, again?"

"Swan." I have a feeling the cat is about to climb right out of the bag.

"No way." He looked at me with wide, round eyes. Yup, the cat just tore the hell out of the bag.

"Yup." I nodded.

"What are we all missing?" Jasper was looking between Emmett and I confused.

"Bella Swan, Chief Swan. Bella's dad is the police chief in Forks." Emmett pointed out for everyone.

I said a little 'Tada' and waved my hands at my side.

"Emmett, why were you so easily able to piece together the chief of police and Bella?" Rose asked.

"I may or may not have met him a few times." Emmett tried to play it off.

"Emmett, why have you met him a few times?" She is not stupid.

"I, uh, needed a ride home." He smiled innocently at her.

"Anyways, Bella, don't you spend time with your dad every year? How have you not met the Cullen's yet?" Alice asked. I had not thought of that.

"Well, I have met one of the Cullen's before-" I got cut off.

"Wait! _You_ are the chiefs daughter?" Edward asked.

"Keep up buddy, I thought that had already been established." I laughed.

"Dad has told me some stories about the chiefs daughter visiting the E.R. every summer." I groaned as he said that. What ever happened to doctor-patient-confidentiality?

"You have met me. I fall down a lot."

All three boys laughed now. Obviously, my trips to the doctor had been topics of conversation around the Cullen household.

"Anyways, so I used to spend every summer with my dad, but the last couple, I only spent a couple of weeks with him."

"Ah, and mom always loved to send us off to summer camps. That explains never running into you." Jasper nodded in understanding.

"Hey, Emmett? If I called my dad right now, what would he tell me about you?" I laughed as Emmett's face paled. "You know, now that I think about it, I remember my dad always saying that summer was his favorite time of year. He got to spend time with me, and that Cullen kid was gone."

Emmett scoffed now, and I laughed harder. My dad had mentioned that before, but I had never paid him any mind. It is kind of odd that now I am friends with the trouble maker my dad loved not seeing. Things might just get complicated if this friendship lasts.

Something suddenly accured to me and my laughter died quickly. I glanced up at Rose and Alice who were watching me now.

"Bella? Are you O.K.?" Alice asked, obviously concerned. I looked around at the group. Everyone was watching me.

"I just remembered something else." My voice shook a little.

No one said anything as they waited for me to continue.

"That's where Jake and I met. Forks. Our fathers are best friends." I studied my fingers.

"What is his last name?" Emmett asked without thinking.

"Black. You probably do not know him though. He grew up in La Push."

I didn't look up at my friends yet, I knew they would not be happy that the conversation had turned to him. We had all been avoiding it tonight.

Oh well, maybe now I can move on?


	11. An Ending

**A/n: Hey guys! Ok, so I seem to be on a roll! Hehe. So, this chapter is a bit longer than the rest. I had a good amount to fit in and it was too short to make it into two chapters. This chapter marks the end of Jake and Bella. So, now we can concentrate on fun and love and happiness. Yay! **

**Ok, read and review!**

RPOV

The next couple of days passed by easily enough for us. We were all settling into a routine. Bella went back to work and the guys spent a lot of time with us.

Now, I never complain about hot guys hanging around, but they were all a bit protective of Bella. It seems like they feel the need to protect her, and I am not sure if it is just the broken girl they want to protect. Or if maybe it has to do with her kind of being from the same town they are from and they know her father. I mean, its obvious Edward has feelings for her, even if she doesn't see it, the rest of us do.

We were all spending a lot of time in Pennsylvania the past couple days, too. We needed to, for peace.

Right now I wished I was there. But the guys were all off at work and such. It felt weird to hang out at the guys place when they weren't there. They had told us we were welcome to it anytime, but we still felt a little awkward about it still. So, now Alice and I sat in our living room.

Back to the disturbance right now. There is a loud banging on our door, and Alice and I both know who it is.

"Bella! You have to talk to me sometime, Bella! Just let me in!" _Bang, bang, bang._ "Bella!" Jake has become a bit of a fixture at our door.

Before I could stop her, Alice was at the front door, pulling it open. Jake jumped back when the door openned and he stared at Alice for a minute.

"Where is Bella? I need to talk to her. Bella!" He yelled past Alice.

"She is not here, Jake. I thought I told you to leave her alone."

"Where is she?" He was determined to talk to her.

"Jake, there is no way we are going to tell you where she is. Just leave. Let her move on." I am really starting to get annoyed with this kid.

"Damnit, Rose. Alice, I screwed up. I screwed up big time. I know I did. I miss her, I love her. Will you tell her that I am sorry?" He pleaded with us.

"Oh, Jake, of course we will tell her!" Alice said, a little too sweetly.

"Really?" He looked just as surprised as I was.

"No." Her face went as blank as her voice.

"Goodbye, Jake." Alice shut the door as I spoke. "Will he ever learn?" I asked her.

"I doubt it. Kid is as stubborn as Bella sometimes." She snorted as we walked back to the living room.

BPOV

Work sucks. I have been back to work for two days now, and both days it was with Eric. He seems to be watching me, waiting for me to break again. I pulled myself up onto the counter. It was a slow day, so Eric was stocking shelves and I was relaxing.

"So, what is this about Jake practically camping out outside Rose and Alice's?" Eric asked me. I raised an eyebrow at him. "I was texting with Alice earlier. He was apparently just there."

I rolled my eyes. What happened between us still hurts, but he is getting annoying.

"Yea. He wants to talk, but I have nothing to say to him." I sipped the tea I had made for myself.

The door openned and I hopped off the counter, ready to help a customer. When I saw who it was, I just sighed and heaved myself back up to where I had been.

"Hey, Bella. Eric." Mike smiled at us. His parents own the coffee shop and he stops in from time to time.

"Hey, Mike. Did you need something?" I asked nicely. He really is a nice guy, just a little overly friendly for my taste.

"Just picking up the deposit. Hey, I heard about you and Jake. I am sorry about that." He smiled at me sweetly. I almost bought it, but he kept talking. "If you ever need anything, here is my number. Maybe we can get dinner sometime and just talk." He handed me a card with his name, number, home number, e-mail address and any other way to contact him.

"Thanks, Mike." I already had six friends watching my every move, waiting for me to break.

Mike walked into the back room, and I glared at Eric. He was fighting back laughter as the door openned again. As I jumped off the counter, I looked up to see who it was that came in. I smiled at the man infront of me, he was one of my newest best friends.

"Hey!" I said brightly.

"Hey, Bella! How's work?" Jasper smiled at me.

"Boring. I am hoping to go home early." I gave Eric a pointed look.

He laughed and continued stocking.

"Can I get something for you?" I smiled at the blonde man.

He ordered a coffee and we chatted for a few minutes. Mike walked back out and eyed Jasper suspiciously.

"Hi, I am Mike. Are you a friend of Bella's?" He reached out to shake Jasper's hand.

"Yea. My brothers and I moved into the apartment building she now lives in."

I stiffled laughter when Jasper and Mike released each others hands and Mike had to shake his out a little.

"Oh, well, that's cool. Hey, Bells, We aren't very busy, so if you want, you can leave."

I jumped a little and hugged Mike - not caring what he thought of it.

"Thanks, Mike. Have fun Eric!" He stuck his tongue out at me as I pulled off my black work vest.

Jasper had to get back to work himself, so I headed back to the apartments alone.

It was actually a really nice day. The sun was shining, it was a decent temperature. I sighed, enjoying the nice weather while it lasted. The walk home really is not that long, but I took my time. When I finally stepped into the parking lot, though, I stopped dead in my tracks. Sitting in a spot nearby was a very familiar car. I noticed the fact that it was not empty, too. I groaned a little and started to make my way to the side entrance to the building, hoping he wouldn't notice me. No dice. I was almost at the elevator when I heard the door open again.

I made a split decision and turned for the stairs. I shoved the door open just as I heard him yell my name.

I went up the stairs as fast as I can, taking two at a time as often as possible for my short legs. I heard him behind me, climbing faster. _Why do we have to live on the 5th floor?_

"Bella! Wait up! We need to talk!" He did not even sound the least bit winded.

"No, Jake. I have nothing to say to you." I had to stop at one point to catch my breath but I saw him turn the corner behind me and I jumped forward again.

"Don't be like that Bella. We need to talk." He took a few large steps and easily grabbed my wrist.

I cringed away from him as I tried to pull my wrist free.

"What do you want, Jake?" My voice shook a little.

"I just wanted to talk to you." He took a small step back when I had cringed.

"There is not much to say."

"There is a lot left to say! I am so sorry, Bella. You have to believe me. I did not want to hurt you. I miss you, the apartment is so empty without you."

"So move." I interrupted him. My back was still to him.

"I don't want to move, I want you back. We have so much history, do you really want to throw it all away?"

I turned towards him now.

"_I_ am throwing it all away? _Me?_ Jacob Black, you cheated on me. You are the one who threw something away. I could only watch as my life got thrown out. You broke my heart, Jacob." I felt a couple tears slip down my cheeks.

"Can we start over? Try again? I can't live without you, Bells." He had tears in his eyes, now, too.

If I had not seen him with her myself, if I had just heard a rumor about him cheating, the look he gave me now might have broken my resolve. But, I _did_ see it, and watching him now actually made me laugh. A small laugh bubbled out of my throat as I watched him. The sadness in his eyes was partially replaced by confusion.

"You don't get to cry, Jacob. You did not earn it, you did this to us. Now live with it. I am." With that I turned and continued up the stairs. He did not follow me this time.

.....

The day after my conversation with Jake in the stairwell was thursday. Bar night. I was so happy that my wallowing had not lasted through this. I needed to perform.

All day was rehearsal with the girls. Since we are a regular act at the bar, the owners let us use it to rehearse in during the day. It's nice to be able to rehearse on the stage we perform on.

Jake had basically spent the night outside our apartment again, he really did not seem to understand that I am not going to give in and go back to him.

The girls and I discussed song choices for the evening and we were all happy with our picks by the time we left to get dinner with the guys. Over the past couple months, we have gotten into the habit of all day practices on thursdays followed by dinner nearby with the guys then the show.

So we met up with the Cullen boys at a deli and sat outside to eat. It was another nice day out today.

"So, how was practice today?" Edward asked once we were all seated.

"It was good. They vetoed most of my angry ex-girlfriend song picks, though." I stuck my tongue out at my best friends.

"Hey, a good number of those were sad ex-girlfriend songs, and you are done wallowing. Jake is not worth all of this, plus he is most likely going to show up tonight and do you really want him to see you reduce yourself to tears on stage?" Rose pointed out while eating a pickle.

I nodded, I really had picked a bunch of songs I did _not_ want to sing when Jake is around. We went for mostly upbeat, dance songs just to keep the mood light.

There was only one song that I wanted to sing specifically for Jake, but I decided not to tell the girls. Hopefully I can talk to the manager and be able to do this one alone.

I did not even realize how out of it I was until I felt something wet smack right into my forehead. I reached up and pulled the pickle off, then glared around the table.

"Welcome back to earth." Emmett laughed from across the table. I threw the pickle at him. Everyone laughed.

"You O.K.?" Edward leaned closer to me.

"I am fine." I rolled my eyes to prove it. I am really getting tired of being asked that question.

"Well, it is time for us to head back to the bar." Alice said, standing up. Jasper jumped up and grabbed both of their trash to throw out. Emmett quickly tossed his trash onto theirs, followed by Rose. I laughed at the glare the blonde gave them. Edward grabbed our trash as we stood and I smiled at him.

"So, do we get to know what the song list is tonight?" Jasper asked as we walked.

"Do you ever?" I responded before Rose or Alice could.

Jasper pouted and we all laughed at him.

We got to the bar and people were already piling in.

"Hey Paul!" I said, as we walked past the big bouncer. He smiled at us girls and glared at the boys.

"Woah, boys. $10 each, please." He stopped them from entering the bar with us.

"Paul! You know they are with us!" Alice whined.

He obviously didn't like it, but he let them through. I quickly jumped back to him after we started walking away.

"Hey, Paul. If Jake shows up, charge him double for me?" I batted my eye lashes at him and he nodded. I gave him a quick hug and ran to catch up with the others.

"What was that?" Rose asked when we walked up to the stage.

"Just getting him to do me a favor." I smiled sweetly.

After making sure my guitar was tuned right, I went to find Mrs. Cope. She and a friend owned the bar. I ran my idea by her, and she agreed to it quickly. I made my way back to the stage, fighting through the crowd.

I looked up at the bar, where I knew the guys would be. They each had drinks and were talking to a couple of our regular fans. I smiled, it made me happy that they came to all of our shows. My smile faded though, when I saw Jake standing somewhat near the stage. He waved to me but I turned back to the girls and we talked about the set real quick.

The first half of the show moved by fast. It always does, which is nice. It came time for intermission and I turned back to the girls.

"Hey, you guys can head back to the the guys. I will follow in a few minutes." They nodded and headed off stage. I grabbed Rose's stool from behind her drums quickly and set it infront of the microphone. After adjusting the mic stand, I took a seat infront of it with my guitar. I looked back, and saw my friends all watching me, confused.

"Hello, everyone!" I said into the mic. I recieved some applause and I smiled, waiting for them to end. "I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. Most of you for coming out every thursday. It means a lot to us! I am going to do something a little different tonight. I want to do a quick song by myself, and I kind of feel like I need to explain it a little first." My friends were staring at me still. Only now they looked worried. I laughed a little at what songs must be running through their heads. No doubt all of them being more wallowing music. "You see, some of you have known me since our band first started playing here. Those of you who know me pretty well, know about my Jake." A spotlight shone on him, standing almost centerstage. "This song is for him."

I did not even risk a glance back at the group now. I looked down at my guitar and started playing and singing.

_"How bout a round of applause,_

_Standing ovation."_

I looked at Jake when I sang the first verse.

_"You look so dumb right now,_

_Standing outside my house._

_Tryin to apologize,_

_You're so ugly when you cry,_

_Please,_

_Just cut it out._

_Don't tell me your sorry cause your not,_

_Baby, when I know your only sorry you got caught._

_But you put on quite a show,_

_Really had my goin,_

_Now it's time to go,_

_Curtain's finally closing._

_That was quite a show,_

_Very entertainin'._

_But it's over now,_

_Go on and take a bow."_

I looked up at the group now. Alice and Rose were obviously happy with my song choice. The guy's did not seem to know it, but they seemed to approve. I looked out over the crowd.

_"Grab your clothes and get gone._

_You better hurry up,_

_Before the sprinkler's come on._

_Talkin' bout ,_

_'Girl, I love you,_

_You're the one.'_

_This just looks like a rerun,_

_Please,_

_What else is on."_

I avoided looking at Jake again until I was almost at the end.

_"And the award for the best liar goes to you,_

_For makin' me believe,_

_That you could be,_

_Faithful to me._

_Let's hear your speech."_

As I went into the chorus again, I started at my guitar. When the song ended, I looked back up to my friends. They were all smiling at me.

I gave a quick 'Thank You.' to the crowd and set my guitar to the side. Before I stepped off stage, I watch Jacob make his way towards the door. He glanced back at me once more before ducking outside.

I made my way over to my friends. Rose and Alice jumped at my once they could.

I smiled at everyone and things went back to normal. I could really get used to these amazing people be around.


	12. Goodbye

**A/N: Hey guys! Ok, so, it has been a while, I know. I am sorry! Please don't hate me and boycot my stories!!**

**I have been a tad busy lately, I feel like I am back in high school. Crushes and hanging out with a boy. It's weird lol. Plus work is hectic. I am trying to keep up with this, though. I started ANOTHER one but I haven't posted anything yet because I already have 2 stories going. Once I get at least one of these done, I will post this new one. My mind just never turns off! I have lots of plans for this story, though, and I am working on them. This in the end of Jake playing any big roles. He may make an appearance later on, but just brief things. Now it is time to focus on everyones favorite 6 characters! **

**Enjoy! Oh, yea, review please!!!**

EmPOV

So, apparently no one knew Bella was planning her little solo performance. When I saw Jakey walk into the bar tonight, I wanted to throw him out myself. I hope he got the picture, though. He seemed upset when he left. Works for me. Maybe we can get some peace in Virginia now. Yea, even I have accepted the new new names for the apartments. Saying The Vagina Apartment is too much of a mouthful, Virginia is easier. It has the Emmett stamp of approval.

After the Jacob song, the girls finished their set and we hung out at the bar. It really is nice being 'with the band', free drinks all night. Woo! Rosie looked hot tonight. Well, honestly, she looks hot all the time, but tonight she was extra hot!

We met a couple regulars at the bar tonight, too. James and Victoria. Apparently they have been coming to see the girls every week for a while now. Awesome.

After a while, we were all pretty tired though, so we headed home. As we were walking down the hallway of our building, I heard Edward swear.

"You have got to be kidding me."

I decided I should check out what he was talking about.

"You need to leave." Alice stepped infront of Bella.

I saw the person she was talking to stand up. I had to laugh.

"Seriously? Dude, stop being a pussy." Rose slapped my chest. "What? He is being one. What self respecting man doesn't leave when a chick so obviously wants him to. She. Is. Not. Going. Back. To. You." I spoke each word out carefully, looking right at Jake.

He was only staring at Bella, though. I don't think he heard me.

"Guys, let me talk to him."

Every head turned to Bella.

"Bella, I don't know if that's a good idea." Little Alice turned to fully face her best friend. Rose walked over to her as well.

"Are you sure?" Rose's eyes narrowed, searching Bella's face for some sign that she would waver and take him back, I'm sure.

Bella just nodded while Rose and Alice shared a look. There is no way they are going to let this happen.

"Ok, guys, inside. Let them talk alone." Rose turned to my brothers and I.

Wait, what? We are just letting him be near Bella, alone?

"Excuse me?" Edward looked at the girls incredulously. I had to agree with my baby brother.

"Edward, Bella is a big girl. If she says she needs to talk to the asshole, she can." Alice said, glaring at Jake for a second.

We really cannot be letting this happen.

"No." Jasper spoke up this time. I am glad my brothers can speak up when I can't seem to find my voice.

"Jazz - "

"No, Alice. He forced himself on her the last time they were alone together, and she still has bruises to show for it." He was right, you could still see the yellowed bruises on her arms. They were almost gone, but not quite.

"Guys, you will be right inside the door, no doubt there will be no privacy here." Bella smirked at us. It's true, though. "I appreciate your worry, but I need to do this. Closure." One of her hands reached out and settled on Jasper's arm, the other on Edwards. Her eyes pleaded with me. Jazz and I sighed, defeated. Edward just stepped back, out of her reach.

"Edward..." He turned swiftly and walked inside the apartment, not letting her say anything.

Uh, oh. Eddie is not a happy camper.

Alice and Rose ushered us inside. Just as Bella had said, we shut the door then all pressed against it, trying to hear. Well, all of us except for Eddie. A really unhappy camper.

There was a long silence, and we all stood there, tense. Waiting.

***

BPOV

I stood silently for a minute, waiting for Jake to start. He just stared at me.

"What is it, Jacob? You wanted to talk to me, so talk." I crossed my arms.

"Bella, I am really sorry about everything." He took a step towards me and my first reaction was to step back. Wow, I have never done this before, not with Jake. A year ago, hell a month ago, if he stepped towards me - no matter how angry I was with him - I would not have kept the distance. Actively kept the distance, I might have stayed where I was, but backing away was new. "I'm not just sorry that I got caught, I am sorry I hurt you at all. You deserve better, and if you don't want me around anymore, I will leave. I came here to say sorry one last time and to say goodbye." His eyes dropped to the floor as he said the last part.

I took a step towards him and reached out to touch his arm. He looked up at me and I gave him a small smile.

"I am sorry things ended this way Jake. It is really shitty, and not fair to either of us. A part of me will always love you, but I can't ignore what has happened. It is time for both of us to move on. Goodbye Jake." I turned and walked over to the door. I turned back to look at him.

Jake sighed and walked towards the elevator. Before he got to the corner, he glanced back at me. I waved, and he was gone.

I looked at the door and wondered if my friends were listening. I smiled, setting my hand on the doorknob. I turned slowly and once my hand was fully turned, the weight of them leaning on the door forced it open quickly. I large pile of people landed ontop of me on the ground. I started laughing hysterically.

"Really, guys? I mean, really?" I looked at my now laughing friends.

"Ok, so, maybe we shouldnt have leaned... or at least listened better and moved away after you said goodbye..." Alice spoke from the middle of the pile. I didn't fail to notice the lack of Edward.

Slowly we stood, making our way back into the apartment. Edward was sitting in the living room, watching T.V.

I sat next to him. "Hey."

"Hi." Was all I got in response. I frowned at him.

"Are you seriously mad at me?" I turned to face him better.

"No. Should I be?" His voice was dead. I didn't pay attention to everyone else who was watching us.

"No, you shouldn't be, because I am allowed to seek closure with my ex. Out of everyone here, I thought you would be the most understanding, since you sat with me through it all." I stood up and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Alice called to me.

"For a walk. I have my phone." I said back, not sure if they heard me before I slammed the door shut.

***

APOV

I heard Bella mumble something that sounded like she was going for a walk and she had her phone, but I was too busy glaring at Edward.

"Ow! What the hell?!" Edward yelled when Rose threw her shoe at him. She responded by throwing her other shoe at him and I followed suit with my own.

"What the hell? Emmett, Jasper, make them stop!" He tried to block the flying shoes.

"Dude." Was all Emmett said, and Jasper shook his head.

"You idiot!" Rose yelled at him.

"What did I do?"

He was really clueless. That made me want to hurt him more. Jasper wrapped an arm around my waist to stop me from jumping on his brother.

"You seriously don't get it?" I asked, incredulous.

"She needs her friends right now, and you decide to go all... all... all... _stupid_! You... you... I want to hurt you!" Rose could not even get through a full sentence.

"She knows Rose and I want to kill him and she knows Emmett and Jasper will help us. If for no other reason than that he physically hurt a girl. But she turns to you. You! And you get your panties in a twist because she talks to him!" I almost yelled at him.

"Grow a pair, Edward." Rose followed me. This caught Edward.

"I don't have to listen to you two act like I am an asshole here." He stood and walked out of the apartment.

Jasper had to hold me back again, and it looked like Emmett was doing the same with Rose.

Rose and I fumed for the next couple hours before we heard the door open. She bounced into the living room, literally bounced. Rose and I shared a look while Jazz and Emmett looked really confused. I am the bouncer, not Bella.

"Hi!" Bella waved at us. She was carrying a bag from a convenience store.

"Bella, what's in the bag?" I tried to hold in my laughter.

"I was walking, and I was thirsty. So, when I saw this store, I went in to get a drink. I decided that... that... that..." Oh, God. She is like a cd that is skipping. "That I would get a coke. And you know what coke does to me. Hehe." She giggled. "Well, so, I drank my coke as I kept walking and I saw another store. So, I went in it!" She did a little jump-clap-thing. "Guess what they had!" She hopped a little, then reached in the bag. "Pixie Sticks!!!" She pulled out a handfull of the stcisk of sugar. Rose and I were about two seconds from falling on the ground laughing. Jasper and Emmett seemed to be realizing what was going on.

"Why don't you go see if Edward wants one?" Rose suggested and I looked at her confused. Bella agreed to that idea and started towards the door. The guys and I looked at Rose.

"Edward is probably asleep. Hyper Bella is going to wake him up and try to shove sugar down his throat." She shrugged. I jumped up to follow Bella and watch. The others were not far behind me.

We got to Pennsylvania just as Bella was openning Edwards bedrom door. We could hear her attempt to whisper.

"Hey E-e-edwa-a-ard! Are you awake?" She tiptoed over to his bed, he was totally out. She poked him.

I covered my mouth to keep from laughing.

"Edward?" Bella called, a little louder. "Helloooo?" She shook him a little and he made a noise.

"Edward!" She spoke in a normal voice now, he grumbled something.

"Wake! Up!" She almost yelled, while pushing down on him.

I could feel Jasper shake with laughter behind me.

"What?!" Edward groaned.

"Wake up! I want to give you something!" Hyper Bella was getting annoyed now. She sat on his bed.

"Ugh." Edward rolled towards her. "What is it?"

Edward does not like being woken up apparently.

"You have to sit up!"

He groaned as he sat up slowly.

"What is it?" He huffed.

Bella reached in her bag and pulled out a couple pixie sticks. She tore them open and handed him one.

"Cheers!" She said as she tapped hers to his then downed it. Edward stared at his for a minute, seeming confused, then he downed his.

"Was that all?" He raised and eyebrow at her. She nodded. "Can I go back to sleep?"

"No!" She bounced up and down, shaking the bed.

"What did you guys do to her?" He looked over at us.

"She has a low sugar-tolerance." I explained. He shook his head at Hyper Bella, who was pulling out another pixie stick.

"No." He grabbed it from her and she scowled at him. She reached into the bag for another one and he grabbed the whole bag away from her.

"Hey! Those are mine!" She yelled, reaching for the bag. He held behind his back.

"How many have you already had?"

"Only a couple." She smiled innocently at him.

"Give me a rough estimate." He wasn't buying it.

"Well, 5 maybe 6. Or 7. Or twelve." She smiled again, holding her hand out for her bag.

"Plus the soda." Rose added with a smile.

"Yea, your not getting this back tonight. You will crash before you got another one open, anyways." He leaned back so he was laying on the bag.

"Fine, I will just go get some more." She started to stand up but Edward reached out and pulled her back onto the bed.

"I need another pillow." He rolled onto his side, keeping one arm around her and the bag under him.

Bella giggled as we all walked away from the room. Those two are perfect for each other. I hope they realize that.


	13. A Day of Rest

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for continuing to read! I love having followers, no matter how small the group is! :) I am getting back on track with updating regularly. Yay! Ok, this is not a very exciting chapter. But, next one should be out soon, too. So, keep an eye out for it! 3 Enjoy!**

**Oh, yah! Please review!!**

BPOV

I woke up the next morning with a hangover. I hate sugar hangovers. I feel so groggy, and its not the same as a normal hangover. No amount of rehydration helps curb a sugar hangover. All you can do it eat normal food and wait it out.

Something was different though, I could not place it. I laid there in bed, trying to figure it out with my eyes closed. When I openned them, I realized I was neither on my couch - I have grown used to refering to the couch at Rose and Alice's as mine - nor was I in either of their beds. Whose bed am I in?

I stared at the black comforter that I was under, trying to figure it out. I was suddenly aware that I was not alone in this bed when the other person shifted and their arm - which was wrapped around my waist - moved. I stared at that arm like it was an alien.

"Mornin'" A groggy velvet voice whispered in my ear.

I felt warmth spread through me. I think that's when the nerves and worry set in. I shot up, taking a quick inventory. Ok, I am still dressed, thats good. I glanced back at Edward. He was laying there, staring at me in shock.

"Good Morning." I gave him a small smile.

"Are you ok?" He looked worried.

"Just caught off guard a little. I don't remember falling asleep in here."

"Yea, you crashed after waking me up to give me a pixie stick." He smirked.

"Yea, I remember that. Thanks, by the way. For taking the sugar away from me."

He laughed a little. "No problem."

"So... are you hungry? What time is it?"

He laughed again.

"Yes and -" He leaned over to look at his clock. "It is about eleven."

"I feel like pancakes. You want?"

He nodded and I hopped off the bed. The apartment was quiet, so I guessed Emmett and Jasper were still asleep. Not surprising really, since I dont think I got back until around 2 in the morning and they were up. Eventually Edward joined me in the kitchen.

"Those smell amazing." He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice. I smiled as he pulled out two glasses and poured some in each.

"Thanks. This is my mother's recipe. She was not a very good cook, but her mom taught her how to make pancakes, and she passed the secret family recipe down to me."

After a couple minutes of silence while I cooked, and he watched, we heard movement in the living room.

"Please tell me that I really smell pancakes and its not a dream." Emmett made his way to the kitchen.

"Good morning sunshine!" I smiled at him.

"Will you marry me?" I had to laugh at his question.

He walked over and took Edwards glass of orange juice and downed it. Edward practically growled at him.

"I love you." Jasper said behind me, walking into the kitchen.

"I am glad I can make the Cullen men happy." I smiled, flipping a few onto a plate. "Can someone go get the girls?"

Emmett left to get them... maybe we should have sent Jasper...

By the time the three of them came into the apartment, I was almost done cooking. Alice wandered over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"I love you." She mumbled into my side. I laughed at her.

"If you send Emmett to wake us up ever again, someone will die." Rose said, sitting on the counter. She picked up a pancake and started pulling it apart, eating the pieces she pulled off.

"Woah! We can eat them like that?!" Emmett asked, reaching for one. I slapped his hand with my spatula.

"Rose can, Alice can. You cannot."

I chuckled as Emmett rubbed his hand and mumbled something that sounded like "S'not fair."

After another minute or two, I grabbed the plate full of pancakes and moved towards the table. Alice and Rose grabbed plates and silverware. Edward grabbed the syrup and orange juice and Jasper grabbed cups.

I set the plate down and everyone grabbed a few pancakes. We ate in silence for a minute.

"Marry me." Jasper leaned towards me after eating a couple pancakes. I saw Alice's mouth drop but before either of us could respond, Emmett spoke up.

"Sorry, I already asked her. She is mine." I laughed when Rose glared at him.

"Ok, guys, I love you, but I think I am going to have to say no to both of you." I smiled at them.

"Then marry Edward so we can keep you around and you can cook for us more." Edward choked on his orange juice.

I laughed and put another piece of pancake in my mouth.

*****

EdPOV

"Then marry Edward so we can keep you around and you can cook for us more." I choked on my juice. I am going to kill my brother.

I watched Bella's reaction and she just laughed. Is that good or bad? Is it amusing that she would ever consider me or is it amusing that I choked? Neither of those are good. Maybe she is just amused that Emmett suggested marriage over food. But that is just Emmett.

It was really nice waking up next to her this morning. I had woken up a few minutes before she had and I had relished the feeling.

We finished eating then moved into the living room, trying to decide on what to do today. Due to going to the girls' shows every thursday, my brothers and I had made sure friday's were free to rest, so we had all day to relax.

"I vote for a pajama party. We can go rent movies and Bella can whip up some snacks. We just spend all day lounging." Alice spoke up when we had turned down several ideas from Emmett. Most of his ideas either included road trips, nudity, illegal activities or all three.

One of his suggestions had been to The Maryland Zoo and set free all the monkeys. He said we should be naked while doing it so that the monkeys would not be afraid of us because we look so similar.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is my big brother.

We agreed on the pajama party. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper left to go pick out movies. I stayed back with Bella to help with the snack-making.

"I am taking the cheap way out." She smiled as we walked back to Virginia. Yes, even I have succumbed to the rediculous nicknames for our apartments.

"How so?" I asked, walking in behind her.

"Popcorn and chocolate. I am sure that will even satisfy Emmett." I laughed with her.

She walked into the kitchen and started openning cabinets. She handed me a large bag of M&M's and pulled out several bags of popcorn. We carried them back to Pennsylvania, and set them on the counter. She moved over to throw a bag of popcorn into the microwave.

"Shouldn't we wait until they get back to make this? It won't be warm by the time we put on a movie."

"Watch and learn, young grasshopper." She chuckled.

By the time everyone was back, Bella had filled three bowls with popcorn and M&M's. Both bowls had a mixture of the two in them. The bowls were not small either, so there was more than enough to go around.

"What did we get?" Bella asked, sitting on the sofa with one of the bowls. Jasper and Alice were on one end of the sofa with a bowl, and I was on the floor next to Bella, sharing a bowl, too. Rose was sitting in our one other chair with Emmett on the ground next to her, they were sharing the last bowl.

"We got Lost In Translation." Alice started.

"Oh! I heard that's good." Bella responded, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

Alice nodded. "And we got Jeepers Creepers and The Hills Have Eyes, whats a pajama party without scary movies?" She shrugged.

"And Emmett chose Ice Queen. It claims to be a scary movie, too. But I have never heard it." Jasper finished the listing.

Bella and I nodded, accepting their picks.

"So, which one first?" I asked, taking a handful out of the bowl. It was really good, maybe we should have made more.

"How about Lost In Translation?" Rosalie suggested.

Alice put the movie in and we all settled down to watch. The first few minutes were kind of boring, but sometimes movies start out slow and get better as they go. I mean, this is a Bill Murray movie, it can't be bad.

About half-way through the movie Emmetts cell phone rang. Thank You! This has to be the worst movie ever. We decided to turn it off as Emmett answered the phone. I started to wonder who had called him as Alice switched out the movie. I did not recognize the ringtone and Emmett is one of those people who has a diferent ringtone for everyone he knows. I know most of them now, but that was a new one.

Jasper and I shared a look when the conversation ended fast. We will bother Emmett later, when the girls are not around.

We all turned our attention back to the television when the next movie started. Alice had put in Jeepers Creepers. It did not take long before all three girls were jumping. Muffled screams were heard through pillows and Jasper had his arm around Alice. It was almost more enjoyable to watch the girls freak out than it was to watch the movie.

I had taken the bowl from Bella about a half hour into the movie, to save myself from the popcorn and M&M shower that was starting. I felt Bella laying on the couch behind me, using my head to cover the screen.

"How can you watch this?" She whispered to me.

I chuckled a little.

"It is just a movie, Bella." I reached back and patted her head.

She screamed again when my hand touched her, which made me laugh. She hit me in the head with a pillow.

"Jerk. Alice and Jasper will save me. Right?" She glanced at him hopefully. I had to laugh again.

"Of course we will! Get over here!" Alice held an arm out and Bella crawled over to her.

I did not see much else of the movie because I was too busy watching Alice scream into Jasper's shoulder and Bella screamed into Alice's side. It was a chain reaction.

By the time that movie ended it was almost five o'clock, so we decided to order some pizza. When the pizza arrived, we sat in a circle on the living room floor.

"So, Bella, you planning to make your little stunt last night a regular thing?" Jasper asked before taking a bite.

"I don't know. I mean, I just felt like I needed to do something to show Jake things were over. Then the owner came over to me before we left last night and said it was a hit. They want me to keep it up, what do you girls think?" Bella really did not know what to do. You could see in her eyes that she was unsure.

"I say do it!" Rose said quickly.

"If you are going to do it regularly, we need a name for it. Hmm...'Unplugged with Bella'?" Alice mused.

"Too 90's MTV." Rose countered.

"Unwind with Bella?" Jasper offered.

"Sounds a bit too... risk-ay." Alice decided after a minute.

"Bella's Lulliby's?" I suggested.

"That's the best so far, but it doesn't feel right..." Rose was thinking hard.

"I got it!" Emmett yelled, excited.

We waited.

"What is it?" Bella asked when he did not continue.

"Bellaby Time. You know its Lulliby but with Bella's name in it." He was watching us, waiting for our agreeing enthusiasm.

"I think I like it..." Bella said after a minute.

"It has a certain... je ne sais pas..." Rose was considering it.

"I like it." I added in.

Jasper nodded his agreement. Emmett's smile grew with each approval.

"It has been decided. Every gig we do from now on, has Bellaby Time." Alice clapped and bounced a little.

And that, my friends, was the beginning of a new life.


	14. AN

**A/N: Hey guys! **

**I just wanted to send you all a quick note. I know weekends are usually the times when I am most likely to get a chapter or two up, but this weekend I have a wedding to go to. I am taking my laptop and when I get the time, I am going to write. But my aunt and uncle have dial up (Ew!!) still, so I won't be posting anything until I get home Sunday. I am hoping to get a couple chapters written since I will be in the car for four hours tomorrow, and four more hours Saturday, and four more hours on Sunday. Lol. So I will have lots of writing time. I love all of you for your reviews and please keep them coming! I check my e-mail on my cell phone, so I still see what people comment on. So, please please please! Keep commenting. **

**Oh yea, and just a heads up to people who are excited about Bella and Edward starting to get together now... you have a little more waiting to do. They are not together _yet_. But they will be soon, I promise!! Don't hate me! lol**

**Thanks!!**

**~AP**

**P.S. Wish me luck a the wedding because my cousin and I do not see eye to eye on like _anything_ and I have a feeling once he sees that I have my lip and tongue pierced I will get a lecture. Hell, once my aunt and uncle see my lip ring (I just got it 2 months ago) they will prolly flip a lil. So, yea, wish me luck!**


	15. The Party

**A/N: Hey guys!! Well, I started writing this chapter at home, but I continued it on my trip to the wedding. Luckily, I went with my mom, so she was driving. :) I was a little over halfway through this chapter when I reached the large sign saying "Virginia Welcomes You!" and I found it amusing due to the girl's apt being named Virginia. Hehe. **

**Well, I hope you all like this chapter! **

**As always - Please review!!!**

BPOV

The next couple of weeks went by pretty smoothly. We seemed to have a bit of a routine now. Whenever any of the six of us were around, we hung out. I was still a little sad about the whole Jake thing, but life goes on. I had gona on a couple dates, but nothing was working out. The first one was kind of weird. Eric had asked me out, which had surprised me enough as is, but we agreed we were better off as friends.

***Flashback***

_I was sitting in the living room with the girls when there was a knock on the door. I knew it was Eric, so I grabbed my coat and purse as I walked to answer it._

_"Hey!" I hugged him when I openned the door._

_"Hey! You ready?" _

_I nodded and we headed out. He had on a white, button down dress shirt and nice jeans. I was wearing a dress I borrowed from Rose. It was a little tight, but long enough to not be too revealing. After much begging, I had convinced the girls to let me wear ballet flats instead of the strappy heels that Rose had originally suggested with it._

_"Where are we going?" I asked. Eric had not told me the location of our date at work today._

_"You will see." He smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back._

_We got into his car and he drove us around to a nice restaurant nearby. I had not been expecting anything fancy, so I felt a little awkward now. I don't do well in fancy places. I am too clumsy, so I usually end up breaking things. Eric gave his name to the girl at the podium when we walked in and she said it would be a short wait for our table._

_2 hours later my stomache growled and he smiled at me apologetically. Our 'short wait' was taking a little longer than anticipated. _

_"I am so sorry Bella. Did you want to go somewhere else?" _

_"Please. I am starving. Plus, I would have just ended up breaking something expensive here, so its better if we go elsewhere." I smiled at him, trying to let him know it was ok that we didn't eat at the fancy place._

_We walked out of the restaurant and down to a small deli closeby. After getting our food(in about 5 minutes, might I add), we sat at an outside table to eat. It turned into us people watching, making fun of the crazy people you see on the streets of New York._

_After a couple hours, he drove me home. After walking me to the door, I turned to give him a hug._

_"Look, Eric, I really like you. But I think we are better as friends. I had a lot of fun tonight." I smiled at him._

_He returned my smile and nodded._

_"I think I agree with you. I was so nervous about everything, and I like having you as my buddy Bella, no worries of trying to impress." I hugged him again and said I would see him at work._

***End Flashback***

So, that date was not horrible. I am happy we won't have any confussion. Unlike my other date. It was with Mike, and I am pretty sure he did not understand how horrible it went. I don't even want to think about it!

Edward and I were getting closer and closer every day. He is quickly becoming one of my best friends. Emmett and Jasper are awesome, too, but in more of a brotherly way.

Alice and Jasper were quite possibly the cutest couple I have ever seen. Always holding hands or touching in some way. They were not very big on P.D.A. but everything was so cute! It was like they were in their own little world. Jasper seemed to compliment her personality perfectly. Where she was crazy, hyper, bounce-off-the-walls Alice, he was calm, cool, collected Jasper. They balanced.

Emmett is still seeing that girl from back home, the bitch. And Rose is still pining for him. Which kind of sucks for Rose, but we can all see how much Emmett likes her, too. He is just trying to see if he and Kate can work things out. I don't think so, because they constantly fight. I don't even think he has talked to her the past couple days.

Then there is Edward. Edward is quickly becoming a huge part of my life. It is like I can talk to him about anything. He is one of my best friends. I still have Alice and Rose for girl talk, but I have Edward for pretty much everything else. I get the feeling he does not like talking about other guys with me, so I avoid it. It's like he is out of his element there, like he does not know what kind of advice to give me.

Bellaby Time seems to really be a hit. I am loving it, too. It gives me a chance to do a slower song and just relax when on stage. Don't get me wrong, I love performing with the girls. It's just an extra Bella only thing. It's nice. I have so few things that make me stand out. Standing next to Rose and Alice would give anyone self-esteem issues, they are so beautiful. I don't stand a chance compared to them, so this is my thing.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard the front door open.

"Anyone home?" I heard Alice chirp as she walked down the hall.

"Hey." I called back to her.

"Guess what Bella!" She sounded really excited. I tried to remember quickly if today was anything special... nope.

"What?"

"That's not a very good guess." She laughed as she walked into the living room carrying several bags.

"What is all of this?" I eyed the bags nervously.

"We are having a party tonight!" She bounced a little.

I groaned a little. I do not like being surrounded by people. I know, it's weird, I am a singer, I perform for a lot of people every week. And we hang out at the crowded bar after the show, so you would think that I would like attention and being with people. I do, just not in my home. I prefer to keep things simple at home, its my safe haven.

Curse Alice for being so damn social!

"Do we even know enough people to make a party worthwhile? Or is it going to be the six of us drinking?" I asked her hopefully.

"I am inviting people from work and so is Rose. So are the guys, so you might as well do it, too. Cheer up Bells, it will be fun!" She bounced into her room then.

I tried to think of anyone I would even consider inviting from work. Eric is the only one. I sighed as I pulled out my phone to text him.

*****

RPOV

The party was in full swing. There was a surprising number of people here, too. I could see about twenty people in Virginia, and I knew Pennsylvania had about the same number of people in it. Then there are all the people in the hallway between the two. I have gotten used to hanging out at the bar after shows, but this was nice. It was nice to have a party again. It's one of those things that I did not realize I missed until I was having another one.

Even Bella is having fun. Granted she seems to be glued to either one of the Cullens or Eric, but the important part is she is having fun.

"Hey Rose!" I heard Emmett beside me and smiled.

"Hey Em. Having fun?"

"Oh yah. You and Alice really know how to throw a party." He sipped the beer in his hand.

"Oh, we know. You should have seen the parties we had back home!" I chuckled a little at the memories.

He smiled at me and I am fairly certain I melted a little. I gave him a goofy grin back and mentally slapped myself. I have never given a goofy grin. Ever. That's Bella's thing. Damn her for rubbing off on me, and damn him for making me feel that way. Damn both of them. I huffed and sipped from my cup.

"You ok?" He looked at me with half amusement and half concern. I scowled at him.

"I am fine. Let me go mingle." I smiled at him briefly before walking away to talk to people.

I wandered around for a while, chit chatting with everyone. I even did a couple shots with Bella, she really was relaxing tonight. Yay!

I was starting to get a little tipsy when I decided to look for Emmett again. You would think finding a guy a large as he is would be easy! I circled Virginia a couple times before heading out into the hallway. He was not there, so I wandered over to Pennsylvania. I saw Jasper.

"Jazz! Where's Em?" I asked when I had made my way to him.

"Eh, he is around here somewhere. I saw him doing shots with Bella not too long ago." He sipped his beer and when Alice appeared at his side, his arm wrapped around her.

"Thanks!" I smiled as I started to turn to look for Emmett again.

I finally saw his head across the room, and I was about to yell out to him but my voice wouldn't come out. Bella was with him. Pulling him by the hand into his bedroom. She was giggling, too.

"Rose?" Alice touched my arm.

She and Jasper looked in the same direction as me. Bella stumbled a little and Emmett caught her before she fell, both of them laughing.

"Well, we know nothing is happening there. I mean, he still has a girlfriend." Alice tried to comfort me, but Jasper ruined that.

"They broke up a week ago."

And my world crumbled.

*****

EdPOV

My brothers and I got home from work just in time to change clothes and head over to the girls' place for the party. There were already a few people that we did not know there, but Alice jumped up from her spot on the ground to greet Jasper.

"Hey guys! It is about time you got here!" She waved to Emmett and I.

I glanced over at Bella, she was sitting next to some guy. I made my way over to them and fell in between them on the sofa. It's not like I had to squeeze or anything, there was plenty of room between them, I just used that space to my advantage.

"I am so glad to be away from work. How was your day Bella." I didn't even look at her friend.

She laughed. "Well, hello Edward. My day was ok until this crazy little woman showed up and informed me of this party." She rolled her eyes and the guy laughed. "Oh, Edward, this is Eric. I am pretty sure I have mentioned him before." I glanced at him.

"Oh, hey. Nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out to shake and he took it. I may or may not have squeezed a little harder than needed. Oh well.

I talked to them for a few minutes before heading off to find myself something to drink. The party started to pick up and as people my brothers and I knew showed up, we lead them over to our place. The party started to get a little big, which was fine with me. Bella seemed to stick by either one of my brothers or myself most of the night. For someone who stands on stage regularly and performs, she really does not seem to like being social.

After a couple hours of her staying with Emmett and I over in the girls' place, I saw the two of them head back over to our apartment. I was in the middle of a conversation with a friend from work, so I just watched them leave. After a few more minutes I was able to excuse myself for another drink and made my way over to Pennsylvania.

I was happy both Emmett and Bella were having a good night. Emmett had just broken up with his girlfriend last week, so he was kind of upset since then, which is understandable. When I got to our place, I went straight for the kitchen and saw the two of them doing a shot.

"Eddie!!" Emmett yelled when he saw me.

"Edward! Come do a shot with us!" I laughed and made my way to them.

Bella poured three shots and we each grabbed one.

"To... tough times and great friends!" Bella raised her shotglass and we each clinked ours with her before downing the shots.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, choking a little on the shot.

"Nothing but the best, brother." Emmett smack my back as I glanced at the bottle.

Figures they would have some captain. I laughed and left them to go see who all was on this side of the party. As I was talking to some guy named Mike, I noticed Rose walk into the apartment. She made her way to Jasper, and Alice joined them. Rose seemed like she was looking for someone, most likely Emmett. I was about to make my way over to tell her I had just been with him in the kitchen, when I saw her freeze. I frowned and looked to see what had stopped her. I saw Emmett and Bella walking hand-in-hand. I froze, too. I watched my Bella and my oldest brother walk into his bedroom and shut the door. I was somewhat aware of Alice and Jasper saying something to Rose. Her eyes found mine and I saw the pain. I wondered if mine looked the same.

~*~*~

A couple hours later the last of the party guests were just leaving. Rose and I were sitting on the sofa, staring at Emmett's bedroom door while Alice was saying goodbye to the last people. Jasper was sitting in a chair nearby, just watching us.

"How can they still be in there? Have you heard any noise coming from the room?" Rose asked me for probably the fifth time in the past two hours.

"It's almost too quiet. Emmett doesn't know how to be quiet. What is going on?" We had this conversation down to a science now.

"They probably just fell asleep, right? They both had a lot to drink. Yea, they probably just fell asleep." She was not convincing either of us.

"Maybe we should go check on them. Make sure they are still breathing?" I didn't even look at her as neither of us moved.

Rose openned her mouth to say her next line when we heard a noise from the bedroom.

"Anything new?" Alice asked, sitting on Jasper's lap.

"They are on the fifth rotation of the same conversation." My brother sighed. "Well, they were, until there was a noise in the room."

There was another sound. Rose and I both leaned forward a little, waiting for the door to open. It finally did, and Emmett made his way out. Normally, my brother walking out of his room would not make me hold my breath. This was not a normal night though, this time, Emmett was not wearing a shirt. And Bella walked out after him, wearing the t-shirt my brother had been wearing earlier in the evening.

"Hey guys." Emmett waved, walking past us and into the kitchen.

Bella blushed a little, after making eye contact with me. She looked at Rose and her head tilted to the side a little in confusion. She would look absolutely adorable if she had not just been locked in a room with my brother for hours and then walked out wearing his clothes.

"Rose? Whats wr-" Bella started to speak but was cut off.

"Don't." Rose stood up.

"Rose..." Alice trailed off at the glare she got from her best friend. Bella was still looking at Rose confusedly.

Emmett came out of the kitchen and handed Bella a glass of water. She thanked him and Rose started for the door.

"Where ya going Rosie?" Emmett called after her. She froze in the hall, then turned slowly to face them. I watched Bella take an involuntary step backwards.

"Don't talk to me. Either of you." Her voice shook a little. "I thought you were one of my best friends." She spat at Bella then stormed out of the apartment.

I was still stuck just sitting there silently, watching.

"What the hell was that?" Emmett looked at the rest of us.

Alice got up to follow Rose, Jasper stayed where he was, watching us carefully.

"Alice?" Bella looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Maybe you should not stay at our place tonight, Bella. Well, maybe not for a few days." With that, Alice was gone.

I watched Bella, still silent. She finally looked at me.

"Edward?" I shook my head, stopping her from saying anything.

I stood up and walked to my room. Before stepping inside, I turned back to look at them one last time. I realized I was numb, and I did not know how long that would last. Emmett and Bella were looking at me, both confused. Jasper was watching them. No, he was glaring at them.

Well, tonight took a turn for the worst...


	16. Missunderstandings

**A/N: Hello again! I just finished writing this chapter in the car on the way back to my aunt and uncles from the wedding reception. It is a little shorter than the past couple, but a lot happens. Next chapter will hopefully be done by the time I get home tomorrow and I hope to be done the following chapter sometime tomorrow, too. **

**Enjoy! **

**Review Pls!!**

JPOV

I watched silently as Bella and Emmett came out of his room. I noted, as did Alice, Rose and Edward I am sure, that Emmett was not wearing a shirt. I also noticed that Bella was wearing his shirt.

This is bad.

Rose and Edward seem to be in shock. Well, Rose was until Emmett spoke, then it was like you could see her heart breaking. Once Bella spoke her name, Rose flinched and stood up, stopping Bella from saying anything. I stayed quiet as Rose then Alice left.

When Edward went to his room, I was busy glaring at my idiot older brother and the girl who had just made life in my family really bad. Did she really not see that Edward was in love with her?

And why Emmett? Why not decide to stick with one of the other idiots she had gone on a date with since she and Jake split. It was hard enough on Edward when he had to watch her leave with other men, but his own brother? That was a low blow.

Bella turned to face me and I could see the tears in her eyes.

"Why?" That was the only question I could ask.

"Why what?" Emmett really is an idiot sometimes.

"Why did you guys have to do this?"

"What did we do?" My head tilted to the side as I could tell Bella had no idea why her best friends were mad at her.

"You had sex."

Bella gasped and jumped away from Emmett, who just laughed.

"No, we did not." My head tilted the other direction.

"Then what were you doing in the bedroom for so long?"

"We were talking! That is _all_ we did!" Bella was frantic, she looked longingly at the front door.

"I would not go over there yet, Rose probably will not listen to anything." I sighed.

Well, this did not end the way we all thought it would.

"Shit." Emmett sighed. "Edward probably wants to kill me, doesn't he?"

"No more than Rose wants to kill Bella." I laughed softly, as Bella wimpered a little.

Emmett walked over to Edwards door and knocked on it. A very angry looking Edward openned the door after a second.

"Can I help you?" His voice was eerily calm as he glared at Emmett.

"We need to talk."

"No, I don't think we do. Why is _she_ still here? Having a slumber party?" He started to close the door but Emmett wedged himself between it and the frame.

"I said we need to talk. Now, get out here."

Edward sighed but agreed to come back out into the living room. Bella moved towards him and he winced. She stopped and stood where she was, staring at her hands.

"What is it?" Edward scowled.

"We did not have sex." I watched Bella turn bright red as Emmett spoke. "We had a long talk. I did not even think any of you saw us go in there."

"Why are you half naked, then?" Edward did not believe this, even though it was obvious they were telling the truth. Neither Bella or Emmett can lie.

"I knocked a cup over onto myself, that was why we went in the room to begin with, Emmett was going to find me a shirt to wear. When we got there, we started talking. When we were leaving the room, I realized I still had not gotten a shirt to cover the stain, so he just pulled off his and handed it to me." Bella did not look up as she spoke.

"Prove it." I gave Edward a look, but Bella quickly pulled up Emmett's shirt to show a very large, very obvious red stain on her white shirt. Alice will kill her is she sees it.

"So... you did not have sex?" Edward asked, still a little skeptical.

"No one had sex, Edward." I was getting tired of this.

"Oh." It was almost comical watching the relief flood accross Edwards face.

"Do you guys mind if I sleep here tonight? I don't think Rose will listen to the truth so readily. I only take up a couch, so it's not like you guys will even realize I am here." She gave us a small smile.

"Bella, you do not have to ask, you always have a place to stay here." I smiled back at her.

We stayed up talking for a little longer, before Emmett and I decided to head off to bed. When I walked into my room, I could hear Edward trying to convince Bella to sleep in his bed. I shook my head and laughed a little. He is so whipped and they have not even started dating yet.

*****

APOV

I followed Rose back to our apartment and got there just in time to see her throw Bella's favorite pair of shoes off the balcony. I watched her fume and listened to her angry babbling, waiting for it to break. She really likes Emmett, I cannot believe Bella would do this.

I saw her collapse onto the floor, and I took a couple steps towards her.

"Rose?"

"Why?" Her voice broke during the one word.

"I don't know. We won't know what happened or why unless we talk to her."

"I don't want to talk to her."

I sighed, sitting down behind her. She leaned back and I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. I let her cry for a little bit, then I pulled her up and we climbed into her bed together.

*****

EdPOV

"Bella, you should take my bed. This couch is not the best for sleeping, trust me." I am incredicbly pleased that my brother did not sleep with her.

"No, Edward. I am not taking your bed from you. I am used to sleeping on couches, I have been living on Rose and Alice's for a while now." She smiled at me timidly.

"Can I ask what you were talking about?" I hadn't meant to bring it up.

She blushed a little. "We just talked about him and Kate. And Rosalie. He really likes her, I hope she let's us talk to her tomorrow. We should not have just snuck into a room... well, we didn't sneak very well, did we?" She laughed softly.

I nodded, taking a step toward my room. I really wish she would just accept the offer to take the bed, its not right for a guest to sleep in the lumpy old couch.

"Goodnight Bella." I smiled at her.

She smiled in return. "'Night Edward."

I stepped into my bedroom and shut the door. I laid down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Well, tonight was a bit of a rollarcoaster. I am happy it is over. Tomorrow is wednesday, then the girl's have a show on Thursday. I am getting to the point where the shows are the high light of my weeks. The girls all seem so happy those days, it is like being on stage and performing is what they are meant to do.

I smiled when I heard Bella make a noise in the living room. The show is starting. I got up and openned my door slowly.

"Edward..." she sighed.

It really had been a surprise when I heard her sleep talking for the first time. She had said my name that night, too. I smiled, setting myself down to watch her sleep.

~*~*~

I awoke the next morning to the smell of eggs. I rubbed my eyes and slowly pulled myself out of bed. I stumbled out into the living room, glancing at the couch I noted that Bella was missing. I just figured out why I smelled food.

I walked around to the kitchen, seeing both of my brothers withplates of food. I walked over to Bella and wrapped my arms around her small frame.

"You are spoiling us." I sighed.

She laughed a little. "How would you like your eggs?"

"Hmm... cheese omelet?" I released her and looked in the refrigerator for the orange juice.

"It is on the table, I already set a glass out for you." I smiled at her. She really is perfect.

I walked over to the table and took a seat next to my brothers. Soon she set a plate infront of me. I sipped on my juice, waiting for her to make her breakfast and sit down, too. When she did, I smiled at her and poured some juice in a glass for her.

"Thanks. You didn't have to wait for me to eat, your food is getting cold!" She took a bite of her eggs.

I smiled at her as my brothers finished eating silently and left us to eat alone.

"So, what are your plans for today?" I asked after a moment of eating.

"I have to work in an hour, then on my way home I am stopping off at Rose and Alice's to see if I can clear up the missunderstanding." She frowned into her juice.

I nodded.

"Everything will work out."

She smiled at me and we ate quietly for the most part. When she finished eating she washed the dishes - after I protested that I would do them - and then set off for work.

I sighed when she was gone, moving to my room to get dressed for the day. Not too long after I finished my shower, I heard a knock on my door.

"It's open."

Emmett stepped inside.

"Hey. I am planning on trying to take Rose out tonight, any ideas on a good date?"

I smiled, it is about time my big brother was going after Rose.

"You could go traditional first date - dinner and a movie?"

"No. I don't want to do anything predictable. She deserves better."

I sighed. This is going to be a long day if I have to help him plan out a romantic date.


	17. The Truth

**A/N: Hey-lo! Well, I started this chapter on the ride home from the reception, and I am continuing it on my way home. But my computer didn't fully charge last night, so I only have like half an hour to work on it right now. So I will probably not finish this until I get home. Anyways, let me write it so you can read it. :)**

**Enjoy and pls review!!**

BPOV

Work was going pretty slow today, which I was happy about. It gave me time to figure out how I was going to get Rose to talk to me.

"Ok, what is going on?" Eric stood next to me as I made some fresh coffee.

"What do you mean?" I blinked at him.

"You have been in worry mode all day. What is going on?"

"Rose is mad at me."

"She will get over it, she always does. Just give her a day or two." He shrugged it off.

"I wish it was that simple." I sighed, and he gave me a look telling me to explain.

"Well, she kind of thinks I slept with Emmett."

"Did you?"

"No! Ew! No!" I shuddered a little. Nothing against Emmett, but he is totally not my type.

"Well, why does she think you did?"

"At the party last night, she kind of saw me and him go into his bedroom and stay there for a while. Well, they all did."

"Did Edward?" He cut me off.

I nodded. "Rose stormed out of the apartment and Alice followed her. Edward locked himself in his bedroom. Jasper was the only one to listen to Emmett and I explain why we were in there. He got Edward to listen. Now I just need to explain it to Rose." I was now tearing little pieces off of a coffee filter as I spoke.

"Well, what _were_ you two doing?"

"We were talking about him and Kate - they broke up last week - and we were talking about Rose. He really likes her, and she really likes him." I sighed again.

"I am surprised that Edward stuck around to hear an explaination. Boy is in love with you." He laughed a little. I smiled at him. Emmett had mentioned that Edward had feelings for me, too. How had I been so oblivious to it before? I realized it now, and when I think back on the time I have spent with him, it was obvious. "So, what are you going to do about Rose and Alice?"

I shrugged. "I am going by their place when I get off here. I am going to try to talk it out with them."

"Well, go now. We are dead, I can handle it." He hugged me quickly before I shrugged out of my work vest and grabbed my things to go.

"Thanks Eric!" I smiled as I walked for the door.

"Let me know how things go."

I made it outside and all but ran back to the apartments. The elevator seemed to take forever to get to the first floor and then it took 10 years to get up to our floor. I waited impatiently. I really want to get things fixed with Rose and I.

When the elevator doors finally openned on our floor, I jumped off then slowed down. What was I going to say? I made my way slowly down the hall and stopped outside the door to Virginia. It felt wrong to just walk in right now becuase Rose and Alice don't like me much, but it also felt very wrong to knock on the door.

I am not sure how long it was that I just stood there, staring at the door, but suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder. I jumped.

"Sorry! Are you going in?" I turned to look at the face that went with the velvet voice. Edward was looking at me, concerned.

I stared back at the door, still not sure what to do. Edward sighed and reached past me to the doorknob. I tensed, almost like I expected him to open the door to Rose just waiting on the other side to pounce on me.

When the door openned, there was no Rose waiting for me, just the hall. He stepped past me, grabbing hold of my hand as he went. He pulled me inside and towards the sound of the television.

"Hey Edward." Alice greeted when he walked around the corner. "Whats up?"

She froze when she saw me. I most likely looked guilty, which did not help my case.

"What is _she_ doing here?" I heard the venom in Rose's voice.

"Rose, she came to explain." Edward was trying to keep Rose calm, but it did not work.

"You are on her side? _You? _I thought you would be on my side." I had a brief thought of how Edward seems to always have someone yelling that at him. "You are in love with her and she screws your brother, yet here you are, ready to defend her."

"She didn't have sex with Emmett."

"So they say."

"Rose, seriously, have you met either of them? Neither of them can lie worth a damn." Edward was getting upset now.

I did not mean for this to become a fight between them, this was my fight. I openned my mouth to say something but was cut off by Rose.

"I do not want to hear anything you have to say. You were supposed to be one of my best friends, and you did that? That is a really shitty thing to do. You are no longer welcome in my apartment, now get the hell out."

I stared at her for a moment in shock before turning and walking out. I didn't know what to do, so I made my way over to the guys' place. I could barely hear Edward saying something to Rose, but I did not want to hear it. I walked into their apartment and sat on the couch. Jasper came out of his room, and he sat next to me.

"Hey, everything ok?" He rubbed my back a little, and I turned to look at him.

"She wouldn't even let me talk."

"Just give her time, she will cool off and when she does, we will explain things to her. It will all work out."

I felt a few tears slide down my face, but made no move to wipe them away. I just lost the best friends I had ever had.

*****

RPOV

I was still hurting, I was still pissed. Bella had always been one of the few people in my life that I could trust. Look where it got me.

When she showed up here tonight, it was like I was seeing red. She looked so guilty. Then Edward started talking for her, and that kind of shocked me. Edward has been in love with her since day one, yet he seems to be in denial of what happened. I have to admit that Bella never seemed to be good at telling lies before, but what if that was all an act? The innocent girl act. And Emmett is usually very emotional and therefore unable to lie very well, but he could if he tried. Right?

I sighed. Alice had left a while ago to see Jasper, so I was sitting alone in the livingroom. Suddenly my phone beeped, and looking at the name of who sent me a text, my heart tore a little.

It was from Emmett.

_Hey can I come over?_

I sighed. I should say no, he slept with my best friend. Well, _former_ best friend. But he is Emmett.

_Sure._

I wrote back, swearing to myself that this was so I could catch him in the lie myself. Edward can be delusional all he wants, but I am getting the truth.

A couple minutes later there was a knock and then the sound of the front door openning slowly,

"Rosalie?"

I heard Emmett voice call to me, but I didn't even look up when he walked into the living room.

"We need to talk."

I looked up at him now. He was staring at me intently. I glanced at the clock - not sure why because it's not like I have work today or anything. It is almost 1 in the afternoon. I nodded at him, munable to say anything for fear of my voice breaking.

"Can we go somewhere else to talk?"

I sighed but stood up. "Where?"

"Let's go for a drive."

I followed him out to the elevator. We made it down to the garage and climbed into his jeep. I really should insist we take my car, so I can kick him out if I need to, but I don't want to. Something is telling me that I really want to go on this drive to where ever he wants to take me.

We rode in silence for a few minutes.

"So... you wanted to talk? Talk." I stared at him.

"Hold on, I want to show you something." I sighed again. I really am sighing a lot today.

He parked the car at some nearby park and climbed out. I followed, confused.

"Want to go for a walk?"

"I thought you wanted to drive and talk?"

"Well, now I want to walk. Is that ok?"

I let out another sigh and gestured for him to walk.

"What did you want to say, Emmett?" I stared at the ground as we walked.

"Look, last night was a huge, _huge,_ missunderstanding. Bella and I went into my room to talk, in private. I was upset, and I knew she would be able to relate to what I was going through, so I wanted to talk to her about it." I looked up at him as he spoke.

"Why were you upset?"

"I am sure my brother's told you, but Kate and I broke up. She was cheating on me again, and I had enough. I loved her, and that is why I was trying so hard for things to work out with her. But some things just aren't meant to be. I am starting to fall for someone else so much harder, and I am feeling things I had never imagined I could feel with her. It was time for me to move on from the bad situation and into something better. Something real."

We stopped walking, and I felt my heart tear a little more at the mention of someone else.

"Rosalie, look at me."

He reached up and pinched my chin between his thumb and finger, pulling my face up to look at him.

"Rosalie Hale, the woman who is steadily stealing my heart is you. You are everything I never thought I wanted or needed. The sky is bluer, the air is fresher, life is more enjoyable when I am around you. I hope you feel the same way otherwise, you are in for a long life, because woman, I am not leaving you. Ever."

I felt a tear roll from my eye, and he reached up and wiped it away. Both of his hands now cupped my face and he leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips against mine.

I melted.

"Are you hungry?"

I blinked at him, surprised by the shift from loving words, to talk of food. But this _is_ Emmett.

"A little. Did you want to go get food?"

"No need. We have a picnic waiting for us."

He started walking again, and I followed. We walked around a few bushes and caught sight of Alice and Jasper. They quickly finished setting up the blanket with basket and food before saying a quick goodbye and running away. I stared in awe at what Emmett had planned out for us.

He sat on the blanket and I sat next to him. I waited patiently as he piled some food on my plate but before I took a bite, something popped into my head and I froze.

"Wait, if you two didn't have sex, how come when you came out of your room, she was wearing your shirt and you didn't have a shirt on?"

He laughed a little, this I did not find humorous.

"She spilled her drink on herself, and in order to hide the stain from you and Alice I offered her my shirt."

I huffed. Of course Bella would try to hide a stain from us, we would have flipped out. But instead of flipping about a stain, we flipped because we thought something worse. Well, I flipped. I laughed a little. Wow, here I was thinking Bella was a total bitch, but turns out I am the bitch. I have to fix things now.

"I feel aweful now. I need to make it up to Bella. I said horrible things." I frowned into my food.

What can I do to make this right? And then, it hit me. I knew just what to do, now the only question was, how fast can I get it done?

**Quick A/N: I finished it before I got home! Yay! hehe, ok let me save this and continue onto the next chapter! :) I hope you all enjoyed it! Don't forget to review!**


	18. I'll Take The Stairs

**A/N: Hey guys! I told you I would get this out today, too! Yay! I actually got a lot more written this weekend than I expected to. This chapter is entirely in Bella's POV, which is unique for this story. I like changing perspectives to show everyone's moods throughout the story. I hope you all enjoy it! **

**I know I put out a lot today, but please review!**

**P.s. Someone at my cousin's reception videotaped their first dance, and it is on youtube! Check it out, it is called Sean and Adrienne Evolution of Dance. It is pretty awesome!**

**Ok, I am done now. Enjoy!! **

BPOV

I avoided Rose for the rest of the day, scared of what she would say to me. Edward did not mention anything when he came back to Pennsylvania, and I didn't ask him what happened when I ran away.

Right now I am laying on Edward's bed. I am fairly certain I know how I got here. I had argued that he deserved to keep his bed, I am a guest who is happy sleeping on the couch. I am guessing after I fell asleep, he carried me in here. I sighed, not wanting to fully wake up, because his bed really is very comfortable. It was then that I realized I felt eyes on my back. I didn't want to see who was watching me sleep, so I pretended to still be asleep.

I heard whomever it was - probably Edward - walk towards the bed slowly. I felt the shift of the mattress as they sat down. The I saw the blonde hair fall onto the bed as Rose laid down, facing me. She gave me a small smile, I just stared at her, not knowing what to say.

"Hi." She didn't seem angry anymore, but that could be a mask.

"Hi." My voice was just a whisper.

"I am so sorry Bella. I should have known better than to jump to that conclusion! I just got jealous, and it was Emmett and I was stupid. Please tell me you forgive me for being a total bitch." She reached out to hold my hand as she spoke.

I just stared at her in shock for a minute.

"Bella?" She looked like she was going to cry.

"I won't forgive you, Rose, because there is nothing to forgive. I understand how you felt, Emmett and I were kind of drunk and thought we were sneaking away to gossip. We failed at sneaking. I can totally see how you thought that, it is undersandable." I moved close enough to her to pull her into a hug. "I was so scared I lost one of the best friends I have ever had."

She hugged my back tightly.

"You are never losing me. I love you, Bella. Now, I have a surprise for you. I know you hate surprises, but I had to do something to redeem myself for freaking out. Just accept it, and get up. Now." She climbed off the bed, pulling me by the arm as I groaned.

I caught a quick glimpse of the clock on Edward's dresser and saw that it was almost midnight. Edward and his brothers were still awake, sitting in the livingroom. Emmett smiled at me as Rose drug me out of the apartment. She pulled me over to her apartment, where Alice was waiting in the livingroom.

"Bella, we should have known you wouldn't sleep with Emmett! I am sorry, too!" She ran over and her small arms gripped my waist tightly.

I laughed a little. "Alice, I am not upset with either of you for anything. I understand how it all looked. I am just glad you two have listened to reason, and that you two don't hate me!" I hugged her back and she helped Rose pull me over to the door to the spare bedroom.

"Bella, we are officially asking you to move in. We want this to be your room." They let go of my arms as Alice spoke.

"Aw, thank you guys! Well, once I get enough money to buy a bed, I will officially move in." They laughed at me for a second.

"Go into your room, Bella." My brows came together with confusion at Rose's words. I have seen the room before. It used to be empty until the guys threw all my boxes inside the day at Jake's.

I shook my head as I openned the door. What I saw made me gasp. All of my boxes had been emptied and organized around the room. And there was a new bedroom set, too. A dresser, a bed, bedside tables and even a full length mirror on the back on the closet door. I stepped inside, staring in awe of the new things.

"Guys, I cannot accept this. It is too much!" My hand ran along the perfectly made up bed.

"It is not. We were not very good friends, and this is the least we can do!" Rose defended.

"You cook for us all the time, and bring us home coffee and snacks. Think of this as pay-back." Alice seemed proud of her logic. A few cups of coffee and brownies did not equal this bedroom set, not by a long shot. But if it made my best friends happy, I would accept it.

I ran back over to them, enveloping them in my arms.

"Thank you, guys! I love you both so much!"

"What about us? We helped unpack the boxes!" The boys were behind them.

"I helped pick out the furniture!" Emmett whined. "Where is my hug?"

I had to laugh at Emmett's pout. I released Alice and Rose and leapt onto the guys. They caught me and we all started laughing. I kissed them each on the cheek and thanked them. Once the hugs were done I ran and jumped onto my new bed. I watched as Jasper walked over to Alice and wrapped his arms around her waist. Then Emmett did the same with Rose and I smiled at them. Then I saw Edward standing in the doorway, watching me. I smiled at him, too. I really have the best friends ever. How did I ever deserve them?

~*~*~

Later on that day, after we all made our ways to sleep, I woke up first. I am assuming that it is because I was the first one to sleep the mnight before, while they were all setting up my new bedroom.

I made my way out to the kitchen in my new official apartment, and poured myself a glass of orange juice in my new official kitchen. I giggled, thinking how stupid I was being. I have pretty much lived in this apartment for a while now, but them actually asking me to 'officially move in' was making me a bit giddy. Not to mention the happiness of knowing they did not hate me, and how happy I was for Rose and Emmett. I really am a ball of happiness today.

Also, today is bar day. So, I planned on making breakfast for the girls, then we would head over to the bar for practice. I made a quick batch of eggs and sausage before bouncing into each of their rooms. Happiness seemed to be in the air because they did not get mad at me for waking them up.

We ate breakfast then headed off to the bar. It was a little earlier than we normally made it there, but that didn't matter. Our equipment was kept in a back room, so we pulled it out and got set up.

"Ok, so what are we thinking about for the set list tonight?" Alice asked when we finished setting up.

"What has Bella brought us for choices?" They both looked at me expectantly.

I openned the large bag I always brought with me to rehearsal and pulled out some sheet music. I handed them each a stack and we flipped through them silently for a minute.

"Ok, I am really feeling 'I Love Rock and Roll' today." I nodded in agreement with Alice.

"We do that one a lot..." Rose was not convinced. She was right, we did that song almost every week.

"We could make it our theme song!" Alice defended it.

"It does get everyone pumped up." I added. We seemed to be selling it to Rose now, you could tell when her eyes narrowed in thought. Alice was practically bouncing in her seat, she had been trying to convince us to have a 'theme song' for a while now. A song we would do every week, no matter what.

"Fine. It _is_ a good song." Alice and I high fived and cheered.

"I think we should start out with Takin' Over The World by Pussycat Dolls." I suggested, and they flipped to the music for that. We did a quick run through and agreed on it.

We went through the whole set list, doing quick run throughs as we chose songs. We also did a quick run through of all the songs, making sure the line-up worked. We wanted everything to flow smoothly. Well, I did. I am the most obsessive over the small details. They are happy if I just tell them what song we are doing and when.

I had just decided on my Bellaby song when we looked at a clock. We had to run to meet the guys at the deli we eat dinner at. They were in the middle of what seemed like an intense conversation when we showed up.

"Hey, guys. Sorry we are late." Alice said, moving instantly to Jasper's side.

"It is about time. I am hungry!" Emmett hugged Rose and we made our way inside.

We chatted about nothing important while we ate. I noticed the time and quickly balled up all of my trash.

"Hey, I am going to run back to the apartment before the show." I stood up and tossed my trash in the garbage can before picking up my bag.

"Edward, go with her, she needs to get into Pennsylvania anyways." Alice said.

Edward looked confused, but he stood up, too.

"Thanks." I said as we walked down the sidewalk.

"It is not a problem. What did you need from our apartment?"

"I just need a shirt. Preferably white and button down." I smiled at him.

He nodded and we continued on.

~*~*~

That night the first half of the show went by really fast. I was kind of nervous about Bellaby Time and the second half because I have never done a 'costume change' before. Alice was excited, though. So, when we finished the first half, she and Rose dragged me off stage and to the bathroom right next to it. I quickly stripped out of my t-shirt and pants, pulling on the short black skirt I had found in Rose's room. It was not too tight, thankfully. I quickly pulled the shirt I borrowed from Edward on and started buttoning it up.

"Not all the way, Bella. You want to be sexy, not a nun." Rose laughed a little as I undid the top few buttons.

The shirt was a little long on me, so Alice undid the bottom six or so buttons and rolled it up, tying a knot just over my belly button. So, now there was a small sliver of skin that showed between the bottom of the shirt and the top of the skirt. Rose grabbed the shoes I had brought with me, they were high heels, but not as high as they would have liked. I still have to walk in these, so I had decided against stiletto's. These had a pointed toe and a strap around the ankle. They were black, to match the skirt.

After quickly brushing out my mass of hair, Alice twisted it up into a clip. I pulled on the long jacket that Rose had told me to bring and we were almost ready to go. Alice and Rose left the bathroom before me and I soon heard Rose on the microphone.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, for Bellaby Time, Miss Bella is going to have a little help on stage with her. Paul, here is going to play the guitar." There was a quick round of applause and some cheers, Paul is popular around here, having been the bouncer for a while now. We also lucked out that he knew how to play guitar, because the girls said I should be free to work the stage for this song. "Now, give it up for Bella!" The crowd cheered more as I made my way onto the stage.

I watched Rose run back to sit at the bar with Alice and the guys. She and Alice were grinning and whistling as I walked to the mic. I smiled at Paul and he began playing.

"_I'm going out tonight,_

_I'm feeling alright._

_Gonna let it all hang out._

_Want to make some noise, _

_Really raise my voice,_

_Yea, I want to scream and shout."_

I started the first verse, looking out over the crowd. When it got to the chorus I pulled the jacket off, and flung it on the chair behind me.

_"Woah, oh, oh,_

_go totally crazy, _

_forget I'm a lady,_

_Men's shirts, short skirts,_

_Woah, oh, oh,_

_Really go wild,_

_Yea, doin' it in style._

_Woah, oh, oh,_

_get in the action,_

_feel the attraction,_

_color my hair,_

_do what I dare,_

_Woah, oh, oh,_

_I want to be free,_

_yea, to feel the way I do,_

_Man! I feel like a woman!"_

I pulled the mic off of its stand and started moving around the stage, dancing as well as I could. I know Rose or Alice would easily put my moves to shame.

_"The girls need a break,_

_Tonight we're gonna take, _

_The chance to get out on the town._

_We don't need romance, _

_We only want to dance,_

_We're gona let our hair hand down."_

When I sang the last line in the second verse, I pulled the clip from my hair, letting it flow down my back. I tossed the clip back with the jacket. I went through the song easily, moving with the music and just letting myself get into it. I am pretty sure I looked like an idiot a few times, but it was fun.

When it ended, the bar errupted in applause and I could not help the blush that covered my face. I ran over and hugged Paul, thinking him over the mic for helping out.

I made my way over to the group, and they all hugged me, saying I did great. That, of course, only made me blush more. We had a couple drinks, and then the girl's and I had to run back on stage for the second half of our night.

~*~*~

When we finished our set, we joined the guys at the bar. We were all a bit tired, due to all the stress we had all been under the past couple days, so we called it a night early. When I had changed clothes for Bellaby Time, I had thrown my other things into my bag and never changed back, so I was still wearing the skirt and Edward's shirt on the walk home.

"Emmett, stop looking at me!" I groaned about halfway home, when Emmett would not stop turning around to look at me.

"I am sorry, Bella. But you have some nice legs." Rose promptly slapped him in the back of the head.

"Her butt looks good, too." Jasper added from behind me and I heard Alice smack him in the chest.

I glared at the ground as we walked. I did not like all the attention I was getting. I glanced up at Edward and he seemed to be upset, too. That made me smile.

"I think I am going to take the stairs." I said when we reached the apartment building. Alice and Rose pulled Jasper and Emmett to the elevator, but Edward followed me.

"The stairs sound like a good idea." I smiled again, it was rare when I was ever alone with him.

We didn't talk for most of the trek up the stairs, and when we were almost there, I stopped. Edward ran into me, not expecting that.

"Is something wrong?" He looked at me, worried.

"No." Was all I said. I moved up a step so I was almost eye to eye with him.

He raised an eyebrow at me, and I just smiled in return. Before I realized what I was doing, I reached out and ran a hand through his hair.

"I have always wanted to do that." I said, still running my fingers through his hair.

His mouth openned slightly, like he was going to say something. Before he could, I leaned forward and kissed him softly. It was a quick kiss, our lips barely met before I leaned back again. I giggled at the shock on his face.

"What was that for?" He asked after a minute.

I shrugged. "Just something else that I wanted to do."

Before anything else was said, his hands were on either side of my face and we were kissing again. I sighed, leaning into him slightly. When we pulled apart that time, we were both smiling.

After that, we continued up the stairs and to Virginia. We found everyone else sitting in the living room, talking. I quickly went and changed into pajama's and took my place on the couch next to Edward. I honestly could not tell you what we talked about that night, I was on cloud nine.

Suddenly, Edward leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. "You should wear that skirt more often."

I laughed and looked at him. "Why?"

"Because, it really did make your butt look amazing. That's why I ran into you, I was too busy staring at it to realize you had stopped." I laughed a little louder at that.

I also made a mental note to ask Rose if I could borrow that skirt sometime.


	19. Secrets

**A/N: Hey-lo all! I hope you are all still enjoying my story! I just finished chapter 18, and am now posting both of these. Yay!**

**I hope all is well out there! **

**I am really enjoying writing this! I hope you all are enjoying reading it just half as much! **

**3Ok, go enjoy! And please! Don't forget to review!**

RPOV

That night when the guys finally left, Alice and I turned on Bella.

"It seemed to have taken a bit longer for you to take the stairs tonight." Alice said calmly.

"Did it?" Bella tried to play it cool as she walked to throw an empty popcorn bowl in the kitchen.

Alice and I shared a glare.

"You were probably just going slow because you were tired from the show, right?" I asked.

"Yea, that must be it." Bella nodded, she is getting better at lying... well, ok, so she might not be lying right now, but she sure as hell is not telling the truth.

I saw Alice's eyes narrow and I think Bella just covered a laugh with a cough.

"Well, ladies, I am tired. I think I am going to head to bed. Night!" With that, Bella walked to her room and shut the door.

My eyes narrowed at Alice. "We have to figure out what happened."

Alice just nodded in agreement and we both went to bed.

~*~*~

The next morning, Bella was already up and in the kitchen by the time I made my way to the bathroom. When I finally joined her there, I glared at her while I went to the refrigerator to get some juice.

"We are out of juice. I am about to run to the grocery store to get some." She smiled at me as the front door openned.

In walked all of the guys, my still narrowed eyes landed on Edward and stayed there.

"Hey, Edward, I am running to the store to get some juice, you want to come with?" Bella smiled at him and I rolled my eyes at them. Could they seriously be more obvious?

"Sure." He smiled at her, then at me.

I still just glared.

The two of them left and I went straight to Alice's room.

"Get your butt up." I said as I kicked her bed.

She mumbled something as I was walking out.

"I will be back in 5 minutes with ice water."

I shut her door as she waved me off.

"Morning, Rosie." Emmett smiled at me and for a second, my insides melted. I plopped next to him on the couch and his arm wormed its way around me.

"So, what is for breakfast?" Jasper asked after a long yawn.

"I don't know. Text Edward and tell him to grab some donut's while they are out."

Jasper pulled his cell phone out of a pocket in his pajama pants and sent a quick message to Edward.

"Ah, pajama party fridays. This is the life." I giggled a little at Emmett.

"Hey, Jazz, can you go throw open Alice's door real quick for me?" I grinned at him.

Jasper shrugged and walked over to Alice's door. He quickly threw the door open and I heard the squeel and loud thump as Alice leapt out of bed and into her dresser to avoid ice water being poured on her in bed. That is always a nice trick, my mom taught it to me. You only have to do it once, the person is forever scarred, and the mention of ice water while they are in bed gets them up.

I smiled at Alice when she emerged from her room, rubbing her head. Jasper was glaring at me.

"I am never doing you any favors again." He kissed her forehead, which made her grin like a fool.

These Cullen men are killing us. Alice and I especially. Neither of us used to grin like such fools, yet they make us. I glared at Emmett.

"What did I do?!" I had to laugh at him.

"Nothing." I kissed his cheek and he seemed to accept it.

"Rose, love, why did I have give myself a concussion this morning?" Alice glared at me.

"Oh, yeah. Guys, did Edward say anything to you last night about Bella?" I had almost forgotten that having both Bella and Edward away worked well with getting information.

"No." Emmett responded as Jasper shook his head.

"Should he have?" Jasper seemed really confused.

Alice and I both scowled.

"We are pretty sure that something happened in the stairwell last night, but Bella wouldn't spill." Alice huffed.

"Eddie doesn't usually tell us about his conquests."

I had to slap Emmett for that comment.

"My best friend is not a conquest, damnit!"

*****

BPOV

Edward and I walked in silence for a bit before his cell phone went off. He pulled it out and flipped it open. I sighed contentedly as he read the message.

"They want donut's. Is there a place around here we can get some?" He glanced around as we walked.

"Yep. It is right by the store, so it won't be out of our way, really."

We got silent again. Should I ask him about the kiss? I mean, what does it mean? I hadn't really realized I had any real feelings for him until it happened. It was not planned, he was just my good friend Edward. What is he now? Did he tell the guys? For some reason I didn't want anyone to know. Now, I don't think he is the scream-it-from-the-roof-tops kind of guy, and I know I am not someone anyone wants to do that about, anyways. But, I can't shake the feeling that we need to talk about it. Does he want to talk about it?

"Hey." He touched my arm, completely pulling me out of my thoughts.

We stepped out of the direct line of foot traffic as he looked at me concerned.

"Are you O.K.?" He brought his hand up to trace the lines on my forehead.

I sighed. "Yea. I am fine."

He gave me a 'yea, right!' look and I sighed again.

"I don't want to be the girl that gets over-analytical, and I don't want to push anything. I don't know what you are thinking, and it is kind of driving me nuts. I mean, I like you, and I _think_ you like me. I don't see why, but that is not the point. I mean, we kissed and I did not plan it, but it happened. Don't get me wrong, I liked it. A lot, actually. I would not mind at all if we kissed again. But, what do you think?" I rambled on and when he openned his mouth to answer my question, I didn't let him. "I mean, it is not like I am asking you if you want to get married or anything. Did I really just mention marriage? What is _wrong_ with me? But, you know what I mean, right? I just, I don't know. I don't know what to think and I can't stop thinking about the kiss and what it means. Or what it doesn't mean. For all I know, you didn't think anything of it. I mean, we _did_ have a couple drinks last night, and I _was_ dressed a little... anyways. Oh, god, what if you drank so much you didn't realize what you were doing! What if... what if you thought you were kissing someone else! Oh, god, you don't remember it do you?" Again he tried to speak, but I had worked myself up pretty good at this point, so he didn't have a chance. "You thought you were kissing Rosalie or someone else who looks 50 times better than me. I am making a fool of myself. Why did I even mention it?"

Just as I was on the verge of tears, Edward laughed. I stopped talking and my breath was coming out shakily. I felt the prick of tears as they filled my eyes. I would not look at him.

Then I felt his hands on the sides of my face. He pulled my face up so I was looking at him. He still had a smile on his face and I waited for the 'Poor, pathetic Bella.'.

"Silly girl. I remember our kiss. I remember it very well. It has been the highlight of my New York experience." He chuckled a little, then continued. "You have no clue how long I have waited to feel your lips against mine. Rosalie has nothing on your beauty, you obviously do not see yourself clearly." He paused briefly. "Bella Swan, I have waited a long time for you. I had not mentioned the kiss because I feared you regretted it. You have no idea, no idea at all of how rediculous it is for you to think I didn't realize who I was kissing. I was in shock, yes, because I had no idea you would ever even consider me. You could have any man you wanted. I plan to stay in your life and kiss you every day, if you'll let me, forever. Although, forever is not nearly long enough, in my opinion." He leaned into me then, pressing his lips lightly against mine.

I melted.

"You really don't think I am a complete fool?" I smiled after he pulled away.

He scoffed. "Never. Actually, your little rant was quite adorable. It took all my will power to not scoop you up and kiss you in the middle of it. Once you started tearing yourself down, though, it had to end. Bella, you are the most amazing, beautiful, caring, strongest woman I have met."

It was my turn to scoff. Me? Strong? Beautiful? Hardly. I mean, I don't think of myself as ugly, but anyone who has even glimpsed Rosalie or Alice would know, I am not beautiful.

"Come on. We need to get to the store and back home before they realize we are missing."

He smiled at me, taking my hand as we continued to the store. We got the juice and started on our way back, only stopping at the little donut shop a couple blocks away. After we had secured several dozen donuts - we could not agree on which ones to get, so we got some of everything - we started home. When we were in the elevator, I turned to face him.

"Edward?"

I felt a little awkward about my request. Would it upset him? He looked at me, waiting.

"Can we, uh, not say anything to everyone? I don't want to make a big deal out of it, yet." I smiled at him, unsure of his response.

He leaned down and kissed me.

"That's fine. So long as I get to kiss you regularly, I am fine. I told you, I intend to kiss you as often as I can."

I smiled as we stepped off the elevator and onto our floor.

"Thanks. I don't want to keep it a secret forever, I am just not ready yet."

As we got close to the door, I stopped again. He looked back at me, confused.

"Kiss me one more time before we go in there."

He chuckled, but leaned down to kiss me quickly. I sighed, I could really get used to this.


	20. Hey You

**A/N: Yay! Chapter 18! Ok, go, read, enjoy! REVIEW!**

**~Ap**

JPOV

It has been almost three weeks since Alice and Rose asked us about Edward and Bella, and I have to admit things have been strange. The two of them are off together a lot, and when they are with us, it almost seems like they are trying not to even look at each other for long. Emmett and I have discussed it a bit, and decided today we would confront Edward on it. Well, we will if we can get him alone. The boy basically lives at their apartment now.

"Ok, Alice. Emmett and I believe you guys about those two. Something is going on." I whispered to the pixie in my arms.

Right now, the whole group is watching a movie in Virginia. Rose and Emmett are on the couch, Alice and I are in their one other chair. The other two are sitting as far away from each other on the floor as they can. They seem to have both turned the ringers off on their cell phones and they are texting each other, not being very sly about it either. Well, Edward is doing ok with hiding it, but Bella has no stealth at all. It is quite comical to watch her try to hide it. She picks up the phone - trying to hide it behind her leg - and as she reads the message she usually giggles, then quickly types something back.

That is not the worst part though. At the past two gigs, Bellaby Time has gotten almost mushy. She sings subtle love songs, claiming to just like the songs, but you easily catch her staring at Edward during certain lines.

"Thank you! Rose and I thought we were being paranoid about this. You guys see it now, too, though, so we are good." She smiled at me.

"I will be back." Edward spoke as he rose, walking towards the door.

Emmett and I shared a quick look and before Bella could think of a reason to run away, we hopped up.

"Us, too." I spoke as we started walking.

"Uh, yea, we, uh, need, to get some beer." Emmett seemed proud of himself.

"Just take some of ours, we don't drink beer." Rose offered, hoping Emmett would sit back down, no doubt.

"Nah, we want _our_ beer." I shook my head at my brother. The girls always bought our brand of beer so his excuse made no sense.

I smirked when Bella glared at us briefly. We walked out into the hall, and there was no Edward. I walked down to our apartment, Emmett following close behind. When I openned the front door, Edward walked out of his room, acing a little too nonchalant.

"Hey." He walked past us, like he had been on his way to the kitchen when we walked in.

"Hey." I followed him.

"Did you need something?" His head leaned to the side a little as we stood there, staring at him.

"What is going on, Edward?" Might as well just get to the point.

"What are you talking about?" He took a sip from the beer can he now held.

"You know what I am talking about." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"No, really, I do not." He leaned against the counter.

"Are you banging her yet?"

I covered my face with my hands and Edward choked on his next swallow of beer when our older brother spoke.

"Excuse me?" Edward looked truly shocked.

"Are you two doing the nasty?" Emmett has no tact whatsoever.

"Am I 'doing the nasty' with who?"

I stared at Edward like he was an idiot now. Who else would we be talking about?

"Bella." Emmett shrugged, walking past me to get himself a beer.

"I am not doing anything 'nasty' with anyone." Edward scoffed.

"What exactly _is_ going on with you two?" I had to get answers.

"We are friends. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get back over to finish the movie." He brushed past us and walked out the door then.

I turned and smacked Emmett on the back of the head.

"What was that for?" He yelled as he spilled a little beer on himself.

"Now, we have to go get beer."

I shook my head as my brother followed me out of the apartment and down the hall.

*****

BPOV

We were all sitting around, enjoying a nice evening in, watching a movie in Virginia. Edward and I were texting back and forth during it all, of course. We have been "dating" for about three weeks now, and I am no longer nervous about telling everyone, it has just become like a game. It is funny watching them try to catch us making out or something.

Emmett chose tonight's movie, so we were watching Ice Queen. We had rented it a while back but never actually got around to watching it... or taking it back to the video store. It was turning into quite the comical movie. Typical low-budget horror - bad actors, cheesey lines, fake blood and limbs. It even looked like the snow was sand and the cars in the parking lot after the avalanche were obviously matchbox cars.

I saw the lights flash on my phone, so I flipped it open, keeping it hidden behind my leg.

_Ooo fake boobs is back!_

I giggled softly. One of the actresses in the movie has a very obvious boob-job. It is kind of gross how her chest doesn't move, no matter what, and it looked like she just stuffed a couple tennis balls in her bra.

I typed a quick message back to him and set my phone down. It did not take long before the lights flashed again.

_I am going over to Pa. Care to sneak away for a couple minutes?_

I responded quickly with a yes, and waited for him to leave.

He suddenly stood up and said "I will be back." And left. I almost laughed at how random he must seem to them.

I was about to stand up to follow, but I paused to come up with a good reason to run away suddenly. The girls would not accept a quick 'I will be back.' I decided on saying I needed to go check on clothes I had put in the laundrey room, but Jasper and Emmett were up before I could.

"Us, too." I stared at him blankly. How _dare_ they mess with my Edward time!?

"Uh, yea, we, uh, need, to get some beer." Emmett stuttered.

"Just take some of ours, we don't drink beer." Rose offered, I am pretty sure she just wanted her huge teddybear back, though.

"Nah, we want _our_ beer." I almost laughed at him but then remembered that I was mad, they were ruining my chances to see Edward right now.

I glared at them before they left. Jasper even smirked at me. Gr!

I quickly pulled out my cell phone and sent Edward the first thing that came to mind.

_The redcoats are coming! The redcoats are coming!_

I flipped shut the phone, happy with my warning. I realized it was silent in the room since the girls had paused the movie when Edward stood up. Looking over at them, I realized why. They were both staring at me.

"What did I do, now?"

"We are mad at you!" Alice exclaimed.

"And I repeat - What did I do, now?!"

"Not only have you not owned up to what is going on between you and Edward, but now, becuase of it, our boyfriends left us to bother him about it!" Rose doesn't like Em-Ro time to get intterupted. Too bad! If Bel-Edward time gets messed with, so do Em-Ro and Ali-Jazz time! So, Ha!

I felt kind of bad for Edward, though. His brother's might try to use force to get him to admit it. Well, Emmett might.

"I have told you both, Edward and I are just friends!"

They just glared at me for a minute before we heard the front door open. Edward walked in with a beer in his hand.

"If you wanted beer, you know we have some here, right?" Alice glared at him now.

"I know, but I wanted to finish off our first, Jasper and Emmett will be back, they are off to pick up more."

Soon the guys came back with more beer, and we settled in to finish the movie.

~*~*~

The next day was thursday. I had realized that most of my songs recently have been a bit mushy, and no one believes me when I say it is just because I really like the songs. I _do_ really like the songs, but there is that small other reason I feel like singing love songs. Ok, so maybe Edward is not a _small_ reason, but actually the only reason for me to do anything anymore. Wow, when did I get whipped?

Anyways, so I decided to mix it up a little tonight. The song I chose was _Hey You_ by No Doubt.

_Hey you, _

_With the wedding dress on,_

_Made of white chiffon,_

_Blowing in the wind._

_Hey you,_

_With the dreams in you head,_

_You've been so misled,_

_By your hearts pull._

_I know your waiting for you ship to come in,_

_You anxiously wait for such a long time._

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie doll,_

_You dress up, _

_You play the game._

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie dall,_

_Your name will never change._

_Hey you,_

_With your eyes full of hope,_

_You think you can rope your desire._

_Hey you, _

_You naive thing,_

_Your patience in time will tire._

_I know you're thinking,_

_Your tide will roll in,_

_How did you ever get, _

_Such high hopes?_

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie doll,_

_You dress up, _

_You play the game._

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie dall,_

_Your name will never change._

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie doll,_

_In a plastic world of make believe._

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie doll,_

_You know he's just gona leave._

_Hey you._

_Hey you._

_Hey you._

_I know you're waiting,_

_For your life to begin,_

_Wall wake up girl,_

_You've got it all wrong._

_You want a prize,_

_That you're not gona win,_

_Well face it girl,_

_You've got it all wrong._

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie doll,_

_You dress up, _

_You play the game._

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie dall,_

_Your name will never change._

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie doll,_

_In a plastic world of make believe._

_You're just like my Ken and Barbie doll,_

_You know he's just gona leave._

When I finished, I saw Alice and Rose looking really confused. Edward was smirking and his brothers looked like they were trying to piece together a dificult puzzle. I almost laughed as I stepped off stage and made my way to them.

The night was pretty uneventful, and we ended up leaving the bar pretty early. I have noticed that since the guys came into our lives, we don't party as much as we used to. I almost miss it. 'Almost', only because I would rather miss drunken night any time if it meant I got to spend time with the Cullens.

We made it home and there was a red blinking light on the base for the phone for the apartment. I almost forgot that we actually had a land line. The girls and I laughed as Alice hit the play button and we waited for the message to play.

_"Hey Bella, It's Jake. I need to tell you something, and I don't want to do it on an answering machine, but you are not answering your cell. I left a message there, too..."_

By the time the message was over, there was no laughter. I felt my world starting to fall to pieces.

**A/N: Ok, so I told you all Jake was gone as a main character, so let's not all jump to conclusions and think I am bringing him back. I am not. It will be explained next chapter. The next chapter will be a bit sad, so, don't hate me! But it will bring Bella and Edward closer together, and soon there will be a pure fluff chapter, I promise!**

**3 Ap**


	21. A long Weekend

**A/N: Hey guys! Well, I wrote most of this chapter and the next today. They go together. This one was obscenely long, but I cut it in half. A lot happens during these two chapters, so I hope you enjoy it. This one cuts off a little cliffy, but the next one is done, so no long waits. Yay!**

**Ok, go, read, enjoy. REVIEW! ~AP**

BPOV

Ok, so maybe my whole world wasn't falling to pieces, but this was not good.

_"Hey Bella, It's Jake. I need to tell you something, and I don't want to do it on an answering machine, but you are not answering your cell. I left a message there, too. Bella, my dad is in the hospital. Apparently, he took a bad fall and now they are running tests on him."_

Once the message ended, I ran to my room and started throwing clothes into a suitcase.

"What are you doing?" Rose and Alice stood in my doorway.

"I am going to Forks." I did not have time to explain this to them.

They just looked at each other and left me alone. I found every clean piece of clothing that I could, cramming them into my suitcase. I hope Billy is ok, I mean, nothing can happen to him. I paused, thinking about if something _did_ happen to him. My heart tore a little at the idea. When I finished packing, I walked into the living room. It was empty but I just shrugged, the girls are probably over in Pennsylvania, I will stop by there. I left my suitcase in the hallways when I walked into the guys' apartment. I found everyone in the living room.

"Hey, I am heading to the airport now." All eyes turned to me, some angry, some unsure.

"Why are you going?" Edward was one of the ones with angry eyes.

"I have to." I closed my eyes, willing back the tears that were trying to surface.

"No, you don't." It was Rose this time.

"Yes, I do. Not for Jake. I am not going for him, I am going for Billy. He has been a second father to me for so long, it is as if that phone call said that _Charlie_ was the one who was in the hospital. I can't not go." My voice shook as my eyes pleaded for them to understand. I saw Edward and Rose both soften a bit. "I will call you all as soon as I get there."

I leaned up and hugged Edward, kissing his cheek, before I ran over and hugged everyone else, too. I wish I could take them all with me as my own personal support team. I walked back into the hallway, grabbing my suitcase and making my way down to the street. I hailed a cab, and directed him to the airport.

~*~*~

I am now in Forks. I had called my work from the airport and explained everything to them, clearing me from the schedule for a while. Then I had called my father and let him know I was coming in. He met me at the airport in Port Angeles, so on the ride back to Forks, he filled me in on Billy. I had also called Rose and Alice when I landed, letting them know the flight went smoothly. They promised to pass it on to the guys.

I was trying to keep in constant contact with Edward, I needed someone to be with me.

"So, what is going on with Jake? Why didn't you two fly in together?" My dad finally asked, we were sitting in his tiny kitchen.

"Dad, that is not important right now." I did not want to discuss this now. I had almost forgotten that my parents had not been filled in on anything yet. "So, Dad, I, uh, have some new friends in New York. I believe you know them." I was trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, yea? Who?" He looked confused.

"The, uh, Cullens." I watched his face flush bright red.

"I want you to stay away from them, Bells! That big one is trouble!"

I could not stop myself from laughing.

"Emmett is just silly. He acts before he thinks sometimes."

Charlie grumbled about that. I reached across the table, resting my hand on top of his.

"I have missed you, Dad."

He smiled at me, before standing up slowly.

"Let's get you to the hospital. Billy will be excited to see you."

I nodded, following Charlie out to the cruiser. I still hate riding around in it. It wasn't long before we made it to the hospital, and it was pretty small, so Billy's room wasn't hard to find.

"Hey Billy, I have someone here who wants to see you." Charlie walked into the room ahead of me.

When Billy saw me, his eyes lit up.

"Bella!"

I hesitated at the door before running to his bedside.

"Billy! What have you done to yourself? I am the one who is meant for one of these beds, not you!" I hugged him, careful not to pull any of the wires currently attached to him.

He laughed a little. "Yes, well, I figured without you around to keep the place busy, I would give them something to do."

I smiled at him. Billy had always been great to me. I wondered if Jake had told him about us yet.

"How have you been, Bells?" There was something in his eyes that told me he knew everything.

I sighed. "I have been better. How have you been? And what exactly did you do to get stuck in here?"

Charlie brought a chair over to me and I sat next to the bed, never letting go of Billy's hand.

"I was over at Sue's place, checking on the kids. I fell down walking outside. It is nothing." He shrugged it all off.

"If it was nothing, you would not be here old man." I closed my eyes when I heard the husky voice in the doorway.

"I will be out of here soon, just watch."

I heard a new set of footsteps come into the room.

"Mr. Black, you seem to have a full house now. Cheif Swan, welcome back." I looked up at the doctor and my face instantly flushed. "Ah, Isabella Swan, I am glad to see you still in one peice."

I nodded, the blush burning my cheeks. After a few minutes, I excused myself to go get something to drink. When Jake made to follow me, but Dr. Cullen called him back about something. I made a mental note to thank him.

I was standing at the vending machines, trying to decide on something to drink. I put in my money and pushed a button, but nothing happened. I pushed the button a few times, seeing if maybe I had not pushed it hard enough the first time. Still nothing. I pushed the return money latch - nothing. I kicked the machine, then remembered something someone told me in high school. I glanced around the hallway, making sure no one was around, before pulling the large machine as hard as I could. It moved about six inches out of place, that was enough for me to reach my arm around. I felt in the back for the large empty spot and reached into it. I was in luck, a soda had fallen back there, so I grabbed it. It was warm, but I could grab ice from the kitchen. As I was pulling my arm back around, I felt something sharp. I felt the burn as it tore into the skin of my arm. I cursed under my breath, finally getting my arm out. I left the vending machine how it was, examining my new cut as I walked down to the cafeteria. There was a nice, somewhat deep cut that ran from a little under the inside of my elbow, down about four or five inches.

When I walked into the cafeteria, I grabbed a couple napkins and wiped away the blood. I grimaced as I looked at the gash. _Good Job, Bella._ I mentally kicked myself. After getting a cup of ice from someone who worked there, I sat at a table with my warm soda, cup and napkins. I was holding the napkins into place as I poured soda into the cup.

"You O.K.?" I heard the familiar voice and cringed.

"Fine, it is just a small cut." I looked up at Dr. Cullen.

"Let me see." He sat across from me.

I pulled the napkins away and he grabbed my arm, inspecting the cut.

"It is not too deep, but you should let me put a bandage on it to keep it clean."

"Of course. I can't see you - or any hospital, really - and walk away bandage-free." I laughed a little and he joined in.

I picked up my things and followed him to an empty room.

"So, I hear you have met my sons." He smiled at me as he started cleaning out my cut.

"You could say that. It is like our lives revolve around each other now. They are great guys."

I heard my cell phone beep, and pulled it out of my pocket. It was Edward. I laughed a little and looked at Dr. Cullen.

"Speak of the devil, and he shall call." I flipped open the phone. "Hey." I smiled.

"Bella!!" Emmett's voice boomed through the phone and I had to hold it back from my ear a little. Dr. Cullen laughed softly.

"Hello, Emmett. Why are you calling me from your brother's phone?"

"I lost mine. How is the trip?" He made it sound like I was on vacation or something.

"Just peachy. I am sitting with your father right now." I held the phone out to Dr. Cullen. He looked up from my arm, but did not take the phone.

"Hello, Emmett." He said, continuing with my arm.

"Dad!!" I pulled the phone back to my ear, laughing at the sounds of Edward trying to get the phone away from him.

"Emmett, give the phone to Edward." They kept fighting.

"Bella?" Edward's velvetty voice finally spoke into the phone. I could not stop my smile from growing.

"Hey."

"Why are you with our father?" He sounded worried. Crap.

"Uh, you know, he _is_ a doctor at the hospital." I scoffed, hoping he would not push anything. They would all make fun of me forever if they found out I hurt myself at the hospital.

"I am well aware of my father's occupation. I am just wondering why you are spending time with him. Did you hurt yourself again?"

"Me? Hurt myself? Psh!" I heard him start to laugh a little.

"Right, sorry. I mistook you for the other overly clumsy girl I know." I could hear Rose and Alice asking what happened in the background.

Dr. Cullen finished with my arm and I sighed. "I have to go, I am going to see Billy now."

We said our goodbye's and I hung up. I smiled at Dr. Cullen.

"Thank you."

"It was my pleasure." He smiled at me.

"Not just for this. But, for keeping Jake from following me."

He laughed a little. My eyes narrowed.

"Edward told you to, didn't he? He knew Jake would be here, and he asked you to keep him away from me." I planned to smack Edward when I got back. I am a big girl, I don't need someone watching over me 24-7.

"Actually, it was Emmett." I stared at him in shock.

"Emmett?"

"Yes. He has grown quite fond of you, you know. If every phone call did not surround your friend Rosalie, I would think he had feelings for you." He smiled at me and I felt myself blush.

"Well, I am quite fond of him. Of all of them. You raised amazing sons." I smiled.

He scoffed. "Amazing? Hardly. Insane? Yes. They have always been a handful. I will have to let my wife know you are here. All three of our sons talk about you and your friends constantly. She can't wait to meet you all."

My heart warmed.

"I don't know what to say. I would love to meet her."

He smiled and we parted ways. I made my way back to Billy's room in a daze. After having the three of them question my new bandage, I gave in and told them what happened. They had a good laugh at it - and Charlie lectured me a little - Billy fell asleep. Not long after that Charlie and I got ready to leave. He wanted to go say hello to a couple people, so I waited outside Billy's room. I heard the door slowly open, and watched as Jake came out.

"Bella."

I sighed. "What is it Jake?"

"I just wanted to thank you for coming. It made my father really happy, and you didn't have to."

"Jake, I love your father as much as I love Charlie. Even if you would have told me to stay away, I would be here."

He sat on the bench next to me and rested his head back against the wall.

"I am so scared about what is going to happen to him."

"I know, Jake. I know." I wanted to hug him or do something to comfort him, but it did not seem right. "He is strong. Whatever it is, he can fight it."

"I am moving back home."

I looked at him, shocked. "What?"

"I am moving back. I am ending the lease on the apartment, and moving back. My dad needs me, and I feel weird living there alone. I need to get my life back in order, and what better place to do it than home?"

"Oh. Well, good luck with that, Jake." I did not know what to say.

Charlie walked around the corner then, and we both stood up.

"We will stop by again tomorrow, Jake. You should go home and get some rest, too." Charlie shook his hand and turned to leave after Jake agreed to get some sleep.

"See you tomorrow, Jake." I waved, following my father out to his car.

~*~*~

The doctors quickly let us all know that Billy seemed to be in good health, and the fall did not seem to be linked to anything serious. They let him go home a couple days later, after keeping an eye on him to make sure nothing else happened.

Monday was set to be my last day in Forks, so that morning I took a trip to the grocery store while Chalie was at work. I was going to make dinner for us that night, so I needed a few things. While I was staring at diferent boxes of pasta, trying to decide which to get, my cell phone rang.

After glancing at the caller ID, I flipped it open. Rose and I chatted for a couple minutes before Emmett jumped on the line.

"Bella! When will you be back? We need real food again." I could hear his pout.

"Aw, Emmett, I will be home late tonight." I laughed.

I caught sight of a few girls walking down the isle and moved my cart to the side so they could pass me.

"Alice tried to make dinner the other night and burnt the rice."

"Well, don't worry. Tomorrow I will make pancakes for everyone." I laughed as he errupted with cheers.

My phone beeped that it was low on battery and I tried to get his attention.

"Emmett, my phone is going to die." He was still yelling about pancakes. "Emmett!" He did not hear me. "EMMETT CULLEN!" He heard that one, then again, so did everyone in the store.

"Huh?" I laughed at him.

"My phone is going to die. Tell Rose I will call when I land."

He agreed and I was finally able to hang up. I laughed quietly as I placed my phone back into my pocket.

"Excuse me." I glanced up to see the three girls who had walked onto the isle. They were all staring at me.

"Yes?" Did I have something on my face? A booger?

"I am sorry, but were you just on the phone with Emmett Cullen?" The tallest spoke.

I quickly looked over them. All three were blonde, the tallest more of a strawberry blonde, the shortest was more of a dark blonde and the other was a platinum blonde. None had the golden color like Rosalie. The tallest had deep blue eyes, the platinum blonde had green eyes and the other had blue as well, just not as pretty as the first. The shortest one looked oddly familiar, but I could not figure out why. They were all beautiful, and they all stared at me angrily.


	22. Back Home

**A/N: Yay! More! Ok, as you are noticing, both these chapters are in Bella's point of view. I am sticking to the POV's being only with the awesome 6, so in order to keep this weekend in the story down to only two chapters, I stuck with just Bella. Next chapter will be back to at least 2 POV's. Starting with Edward. I tried to add a little comedy to this chapter, make people giggle, because it wasn't much of a fun chapter for the last one. **

**Ok, go, read, enjoy! REVIEW!**

**~AP**

BPOV

"Yes, I was. Why?" I had a bad feeling about these girls.

"Just wondering. How do you know him?" The only one who had spoken so far tilted her head to the side a little.

"I live two doors down from him, and he and his brother are dating my best friends. I'm sorry, but do I know you?" I stared at the short one now, it was bugging me.

"No." Was all she said.

It suddenly hit me. "Are you Kate?" I snapped my mouth shut as soon as the words were out.

Her eyes narrowed a little.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"I doubt Emmett ever mentioned me. I am Bella."

Recognition of my name sparked in her eyes.

"You and your friends need to leave the Cullen's alone."

My head snapped back to the tall one. "Excuse me?"

"I said, you and your friends need to leave the Cullen's alone."

"I don't see that happenning, sorry." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Well, make it happen. They are spoken for."

I turned to the third girl who had remained quiet until now.

"Yes, they are. Emmett is with Rosalie, Jasper is with Alice and Edward is perfectly happy." I had yet to inform my best friends that Edward was with me, so why would admit it to these girls?

"You see, this whole New York thing is just a phase. They will move back here, and things will go back to how they should be." The tall one spoke again.

"No, New York is not a phase. New York is a life, and a much better one than they would ever have here."

"Whatever, skank." Kate scoffed.

"Wow, really? _You_ calling _me_ a skank?" I laughed a little.

"Excuse me?" For the first time I noticed that their hands were not empty.

"You heard me. Emmett told me all about you."

Kate made a move to hit me but the tall one stopped her.

"I think it is time we leave. Just remember what we said, Bella. Stay away from the Cullen's." They turned and started walking down the isle again.

"Or else what?" I scoffed, turning back to my debate on pasta.

Suddenly there was a loud thump as I felt something hard and heavy hit my arm. I felt the pull as something sharp dragged along the exposed skin. The impact sent me flying to the ground and I looked up to see Kate standing over me, with what looked like some sort of bat shaped object in her hands. I realized it was one of those large things of uncut salami, the sharp part must have been where the plastic wrap surrounding it was clumped and sealed off. A nice sharp, thick plastic blade, so-to-speak. I looked at my arm as they walked away, noticing the blood starting to run down my arm. I swore under my breath and stood up. I grabbed a couple boxes of spaghetti and threw them into the cart.

After paying for my food, I made a detour to the hospital when I roll of paper towels did not stop the bleeding in the car. I walked into the E.R., and, of course, Dr. Cullen was working.

"Bella, what brings you in?" He smiled at me.

I turned and showed him my arm. He led me into an empty room and started looking at the cut.

"What happened?" His eye brows were pulled together, showing his concern.

"I had a slight run in with some lunch meat." I tried to laugh it off, but he gave me the same look Edward does when he knows I am not being totally honest. "Ok, so, there _may_ have been an angry ex-girlfriend who used the lunch meat to attack me." I gave him a small smile.

"Which one?" I made a show of zipping my lips and he sighed.

"I will just have to talk to all three of them."

"Don't worry about it. Just bandage me up, forget you had to twice this weekend next time you talk to any of your sons, and life will go on smoothly." I smiled at him, but his frown stayed where it was.

"This needs a couple stitches before I can just 'bandage you up'." I grimaced.

~*~*~

Dr. Cullen put three stitches in my arm and bandaged it up before he let me leave. Thankfully he did not call Charlie. I was sitting up in my old room, reading while I waited for the spaghetti to cook. I had the alarm set on my cell phone so that I would know when to go strain it.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up to my cell phone beeping. I hadn't meant to fall asleep, and I heard Charlie walking in downstairs.

"Bella?" He called out.

"I am upstairs!" I yelled, rushing to get downstairs to finish dinner.

Apparently I was going a little too fast, because when I turned, leaving my room, I tripped over my own two feet and tumbled to the floor. Then I tumbled down the stairs. I landed with a loud thud on my face, right infront of Charlie.

"Bella?! Are you ok?!" Charlie knelt down and flipped me over.

"Ow." Was all I said. My arm was throbbing. I could smell the blood from my stitched being ripped out, too.

"What do you need? What can I do?" Charlie was about to have a panic attack.

"Calm down, Dad. Take me to the hospital. I ripped out my stitches." Charlie stopped suddenly, and I realized he did not know I had stitches.

"Don't ask, I will tell you in the car. First, go turn off the spaghetti, then take me to the hospital."

I groaned as I sat up. Charlie ran off to turn off the stove and was back to me faster than I ever realized he could move. He helped me stand and walk out to the car.

On the drive there, I told him my 'run in with some lunch meat' story, and he yelled at me for not calling him when it happened. He helped me walk into the Emergency Room, and I took a seat as he walked over to the desk to talk to the nurse. We were led back to an empty room to wait for the doctor.

The wait was silent but short. When the door openned, I almost groaned.

"Bella Swan."

"Dr. Cullen."

"I think you have earned the right to just call me Carlisle." He smiled at me and my father. "So, what happened this time?"

I told him about falling down the stairs. He quickly redid my stitches, then examined my arms, sides, and legs.

"Well, everything seems ok, except a sprained elbow, a twisted ankle, and what seems like a bruised rib or two. You won't need a cast or anything, but you will need a sling. Your side will be really sore for a couple days, and the best I can do for that is give you a nice prescription." He grabbed a sling from a cabinet and helped me into it.

"I think Forks makes me clumsy. Maybe it is all the rain or something. Maybe the altitude. I am not this bad back on the east coast." Charlie and Carlisle laughed with me.

"That may be. Before you go, I have someone who wants to see you." Carlisle smiled at me after writing a prescription for me.

I nodded and he walked out of the room.

"You really have had an eventful weekend, haven't you Bells?" Charlie gave me a quick hug from the side.

I sighed and nodded at him. The door openned again, and Carlisle walked in with a woman.

"Bella?" She smiled at me.

"Mrs. Cullen?" I returned her smile.

"Oh, call me Esme. Dear, you must be in pain! Carlisle, go fill her prescription!" She quickly grabbed the small slip of paper from my hands and handed it to her husband. I openned my mouth to argue that I could fill it before we left, but she stopped me.

"Beall, dear, let him go fill it now. You have to be in pain!" I laughed a little and it made me cringe, which made her rush Carlisle out of the room to get me my meds.

"So, Bella, tell me, how are my sons doing? They all say they are doing well, but I need the truth. How are they?" She grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed it a little.

"They are great." I smiled at her.

~*~*~

After a nice long visit with Esme and Carlisle, Dad and I headed back to the house. We stopped off at a McDonalds on the way, since it was getting late and my flight left at 8. He dropped me off at the airport, after making sure I had all of my things and my pills. By the time I reached New York, it was about 6 in the morning. I hailed a cab, and made my way home.

I walked in the door, and was not surprised to find Virginia completely silent. Edward was asleep on our couch and I laughed softly to myself before walking into my room. I cringed after laughing more at Rose and Alice who were asleep in my bed.

I set my things down and sat on the bed next to the sleeping Alice. I ran my hand through her hair, and she started to move around some.

"Alice." I whispered in her ear.

"Mmm, 5 more mints, mommy." I laughed softly at her.

"A-a-lice." I whispered again.

She groaned and rolled away from me, laying face down on my pillow.

I shook her a little, saying her name again. "Alice!"

"What do you want, Bella?" I laughed and it made me cringe again. "Bella?" She sat up suddenly and it made me fall off the bed.

"Ow!" I groaned.

"Bella?! Your home! Bella! What happened to you?! Rose!! Bella is home and hurt!!" She shook Rose quickly before jumping off the bed and next to me.

"Bella?" Rose woke up faster. After rubbing her eyes, she saw Alice and I on the floor. She moved over to look down at us. "What the hell, Bella? Did you get hit by a bus?!"

"Shh! Edward is asleep on the couch!" I tried to shush them, but they didn't listen.

"Seriously, Bella. What happened?" Alice was afraid to touch me.

"I need some water. I will explain it all when everyone else is up." Alice helped me stand and we walked out into the living room.

Alice sat on Edward, while Rose walked with me into the kitchen.

"What the hell?!" I heard Edward grunt under Alice.

"Bella is home! And she got hit by a bus!" Alice was completely awake now. "Ow!" I heard the thud when Alice hit the ground.

Edward ran into the kitchen and froze when he saw me. I quickly swallowed my vicodin and water, then smiled at him.

"Hey sleepy head."

"What the hell happened to you?!"

I laughed at him a little, then cringed. He was next to me instantly, not sure if it was safe to touch me.

"I am not telling the story twice, so wait until your brothers wake up."

"Alice? Rose?" He didn't even turn to face them.

"On it." Alice grabbed Rose's arm and they were gone.

"You did not have to go wake them up!" I glared at him.

He moved fast, suddenly his hands were in my hair and his lips were on mine.

"God, Bella, I missed you."

I melted.

"I missed you, too." I gave him a big, cheesey grin.

"You obviously cannot be left unattended ever again."

I glared at him.

"This was not my fault! Ok, well, most of it is, but not all of it!" I defended my ability to survive on my own.

"Then who's fault is it?" I saw in his eyes that he thought he knew.

"Just wait another minute."

Suddenly, the front door flew open. Emmett came barrelling in and before anyone could tell him to be careful, he scooped me up into a hug.

"Bella! Welcome home!"

"Ow. Emmett, ow let me ow go please. Ow."

Just as suddenly, I was on my feet and he was actually looking at me.

"Lord, Bella, what happened?"

"She got hit by a bus!" Alice chirped.

~*~*~

After everyone had said hello and settled down, we all moved to the living room.

"Spill." Rose demanded.

I sighed. "It is sort of a long story."

"Spill. Every detail." Rose repeated.

Everyone stared at me, waiting.

"Where to start? Ok, well, Billy is fine. They don't think anything serious caused the fall. The first night there, Charlie and I were at the hospital and I went to get a soda. The machine ate my money, and I remembered something someone told me in high school. I reached behind the machine and found a soda that had fallen back there. Well, when I went to pull my arm out, I hit something sharp, and that is where this comes from." I pointed to the bandage on my right arm.

"You did not even make it one day without hurting yourself?" Edward asked, shocked.

"That would be when Emmett called me, and I was sitting with your father." They laughed at me.

"Continue, please." Jasper smiled at me.

"Yesterday morning I went shopping for dinner for Charlie and I, when Emmett called me." Everyone looked at Emmett.

"I didn't do this to her! She was fine when I talked to her!" He defended himself, which made me laugh and cringe.

"Yes, well, I ran into a few people when I hung up the phone. One of them being named Kate." The brother's jaws all dropped.

"I am guessing Irena and Tanya were with her." Jasper shook his head.

"Would that be tall strawberry blonde and platinum blond?" I asked.

"Tanya the former, Irena the later." Edward explained.

"Good to know their names." I nodded.

"What happened?"

I explained what the girls had said to me, and none of them liked that.

"Let me get my hands on any one of them and I will-" Alice was cut off by Jasper wrapping his arms around her.

"Ok, so how did you get hurt more? Jasper asked.

I sighed. They did not like what the girls said, what if Alice or Rose decide to jump on a plane for Forks today?

"Well, then, Kate hit me with one of those large packaged, uncut salami's. Cut my arm open, and I got three stitches. Your father was my doctor, again."

"Wait... so... getting hit with _meat_ made you get stitches?" Emmett asked.

"The sharp plastic wrapping cut me, not the meat."

Emmett laughed very loud and Edward glared at him. When Jasper, Alice and Rose started laughing too, he huffed.

"It is not funny! She got attacked by your crazy ex-girlfriend Emmett."

I patted Edwards hand and let the others get in their laugh.

"Ok, continue to why you are in a sling." Jasper spoke when they all calmed down a little.

I explained my trip down the stairs and everyone but Edward laughed again.

~*~*~

I slept most of the day, jet lag sucks. So, I was up long after everyone else. I took a vicodin and decided on some fresh air. I sat out on the balcony and looked out over the city. I heard a door open, and looked over to see Edward walk out onto their balcony. He didn't see me, and I just sat there watching him. He was so deep in thought, I didn't want to disturb him.

I sneezed. His head whipped over, his eyes landing on me.

"Bella? What are you doing outside?"

He climbed the two railings and sat next to me.

"I jus' wanted fress air." I sighed. The pills were kicking in and I have zero tollerance.

He chuckled. "How are you feeling?"

"S'good. Pills." I smiled at him, and he chuckled again.

"I can't believe Dad didn't call and tell us. I am going to have a long talk with Tanya. Emmett is pissed at Kate, too."

"I tol' Carlisle not t'tell you guys. Tanya 'n Kate are bitcheses." I laughed at me again and wrapped his arms around me.

"Aren't you tired?"

"Aren'n't you?"

"Yes. Let's get some sleep. Go to bed."

"Ok." I sighed, shutting my eyes.

I felt him lift me, carrying me inside and to my room. My head hit the pillow and he pulled the blanket up around me. I sighed again.

"G'night Edward. Love you."

And I was asleep.

**A/N: Ok, I little cliffy. Hehe. I think I fractured my toe tonight... it hurts... I want some of Bella's vicodin... :(**

**Stay tuned for Edward POV!**


	23. Perfect Imperfection

**A/N: Hey guys! I know I usually get a couple chapters out on sundays, but this one took a little longer than normal. Sorry! I am working on the next chapter now, so it should be up in a couple days, I promise!! :) I tried to throw a little fluff into this one, let me know if I did good or not. I never feel like I get fluff quite right, so REVIEW!!**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added my story to favs and such! I appreciate it and it makes me feel all warm and squishy inside when I see people enjoying my stuff! **

**Ok, go, read, enjoy, REVIEW! **

**~AP**

EdPOV

My brothers were already fast asleep, but I was too angry to sleep. I cannot believe Tanya. I thought I had made myself perfectly clear when I broke up with her. That was well before we moved here, so what makes her think I am going to move home and get pick things back up with her? And do not even get me started on Kate. I mean, seriously, who attacks someone with meat?!

I decided some fresh air might help me get calm down, so I headed out onto the balcony. Our apartments were against the front of the building, so instead of a view of the next building over, we got a decent view across the city for a few blocks. It was quite nice.

I heard a sneeze and my head whipped over to the right. I saw someone in a chair and it took a second for my eyes to adjust and realize it was Bella.

"Bella? What are you doing outside?" I hopped the two railings in between us to get to her.

"I jus' wanted fress air." She sighed.

I laughed a little, she must have taken another pill. She has like no tollerance, Emmett is not allowed around drugged up Bella alone. He has too many stupid ideas that she might go along with.

"How are you feeling?" She didn't look like she was in pain, but then again, she _is_ high.

"S'good. Pills." A big grin spread across her face, making me laugh.

"Aren't you tired?" She should get all the sleep she can with these injuries.

"Aren'n't you?"

"Yes. Let's get some sleep. Go to bed."

"Ok." She sighed again and her eyes shut.

I had to laugh again, I had not meant for us to sleep on the balcony. Gently, I placed my arms under her and lifted. Her head fell onto my shoulder and I was fairly sure she was already asleep. I carried her inside and to her room. When I laid her on the bed, she curled onto one side and I pulled the blanket up over her.

She mumbled, "G'night Edward. Love you."

I froze. Did she just say she loved me? No, that is just the pills talking.

She snored softly.

"I love you, too, Bella." I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

I walked back to Pennsylvania deep in thought. As I turned into my bedroom, I heard my cell phone ringing. I rushed over and picked it up, looking at who was calling at such an hour. I flipped it open.

"What do you want, Tanya?" I sighed.

"Hello to you, too, Edward. Miss me yet?" She cooed.

"Tanya it is a bit late here. What did you call me for?" I pinched the bridge of my nose, sitting on my bed.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. I just wanted to see how you were."

"Well, I _should_ be amazing, but alas I am not. I believe you are part of the reason." I shouldn't snap at her like that, it was Kate who hit Bella, but Tanya was there.

"What did I do?"

"You should know what you did. Did you really think she wouldn't tell us?"

"Oh. _Her._" She scoffed.

"Yes, her."

"You used to have such good taste in girls, Eddie. What happened?"

"You know I hate that name. And I didn't know what good taste was until I met her."

She scoffed again. "When are you going to get over this phase, Edward? You belong in Forks, with me."

"I don't think this is a phase. I don't know if I will ever move back to Forks. I'm not sure any of us will." I sighed. "Things change, Tanya. I used to think I could never be truly comfortable anywhere but Forks, I thought Forks was _home._ But now... now I think I was wrong." I frowned. If Forks was no longer home, what was?

*****

APOV

I woke up in the morning to the smell of bacon. I smiled as I stretched, happy to have Bella home. I frowned when I remembered that Bella should not be cooking, she should be resting and healing. I glared the whole way from my bed to the kitchen. When I turned the final corner, I stopped. Bella _wasn't_ cooking. Emmett was.

"Uh, Emmett, what are you doing?" My head tilted to the side a little.

"Making breakfast for everyone, duh!" He snorted and rolled his eyes, flipping over a couple pieces of bacon.

"Ok, well, I mean, thanks, and all. But, uh, _why_ are you making breakfast? And why are you making breakfast _here_?" I leaned on the wall in the doorway.

"Well, because my brothers and I are men, we do not have much food in our refrigerator. And we also do not have all the neccesary tools. So, if I wanted to get any cooking done, obviously I had to do it here."

I sighed, enjoying the smell of bacon. When I looked back at him, after admiring said bacon, I realized he was staring at me. Did I have something on me? I looked down. No, my pajamas are clean. My head snapped up when I realized why Emmett was staring at me. Last night I had decided to sleep in a silk camisole and boy shorts. There was a lot of me showing, and the only Cullen that I wanted to see me like this was _not_ the one who was currently staring. I quickly ran back to my room to change - I could hear Emmett laughing the whole time.

When I made my way back out to the kitchen, Rose was there too.

"Is it just me, or does Emmett look _really_ sexy when he is cooking?" She asked after a minute of us watching him.

I stared at her like she was nuts. In that minute Emmett had burnt his hand twice, his tongue once and he even burnt his foot.

"I will go get Jasper and Edward, you wake up Bella." I said to her after another minute.

I made my way over to Pennsylvania and lightly knocked on Edwards door. When all I got in response was a moan, I openned the door. He was laying facedown on the bed with the pillow ontop of his head. I took a running leap and landed right ontop of him.

He grunted and mumbled some profanities.

"Eddie! Time to get up. Breakfast is being made on Virginia." I shook him a few times before climbing down and skipping out of his room.

"Who is cooking?" I heard him ask before I shut the door, not answering.

I made my way to Jasper's room and quietly openned the door. My sexy man was sleeping on his side, the pillow pulled down at an angle so one arm wrapped around it while his head was still on top. One of his legs was bent and sticking out of the blanket. I carefully crawled onto the bed behind him and started running my hand through his messy hair.

"Jazz?" I whispered, close to his ear. He groaned a little but didn't wake up.

I lightly kissed the hollow beneath his ear and then down along his jaw.

"Jazzy?" I whispered again. He groaned again, but he was starting to wake up now.

I giggled as I started kissing down his neck a little, then back up.

"Jazz, it is time to wake up." I whispered before kissing the side of his lips lightly.

"Woman, it is not fair for you to wake me up like this." I squeeled when his arms flashed out and pulled me down against him. He kissed me hard this time. I giggled when we pulled apart.

"Breakfast should be ready over in Virginia." I kissed his lips lightly again.

I tried to get up, so we could go eat but his arms were still holding me tightly in place.

"Jazz, you know, I may be small, but you still have to feed me." I laughed a little.

"I don't want to move yet." He kissed my jaw softly.

I sighed, content to lay in his arms like this. We laid silently for a couple minutes, just staring at each other before he broke the silence.

"Alice..." He started, then stopped. Seeming to be arguing with himself about what he was going to say.

"Yes?" I tilted my head a little. Jasper had never been afraid to say anything to me before.

"I want to tell you something." He looked so serious, it was a little scary.

"Say it Jasper. Whatever it is, you can tell me." I ran a hand through his hair.

He nodded, but stayed silent for a moment more.

He sighed. "I know we have not known each other very long, and we haven't even gone on a proper first date." He scoffed, as if he had just realized this. I giggled a little. "I cannot seem to get a grip on what my feelings for you are. You are my best friend, the sweetest girl I have ever met, stubborn, a tad bit obsessive-compulsive about certain things, adorable, annoying..." I was grinning like a fool until he said annoying, I pouted a little, but he continued. "...amazing, intelligent, nosy..." I was smiling again. "...talented, energetic... a million adjectives describe you. But there is only one I can come up with that comes anywhere near describing you correctly. And that is 'Perfect'. Mary-Alice Brandon, you are perfectly imperfect and I never want you to change. Ever. I am slowly, but steadily, falling more and more in love with you every day."

I stared at him in shock. Did he just say he loved me? Did he just... say... he... loved... ME?!?!

"Alice?"

The foolish grin was making its way back, but this time with sound. I could not stop the loud squeel that was coming from somewhere deep inside of me.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I started bouncing a little, then suddenly stopped. Stopped bouncing and squeeling at the same time. Jasper looked a little frightened, but I kept grinning at him. I kissed him deeply, when we pulled apart we were both panting.

"I love you, Jasper Cullen." Was all I said before we started kissing again.

~*~*~

After a few more minutes of kissing, Jasper and I were interrupted Edward. When I told them Emmett was cooking, they basically ran away. I was suddenly very afraid of breakfast.

I followed them back, and found everyone in the kitchen. Rose and Bella were holding each other for support while laughing and Edward and Jasper were shaking their heads at a pouting Emmett.

"What happened?" I looked at them all, very confused. "And what is that smell?"

My second question made Bella actually fall on the ground from laughing harder. Rose barely caught herself on the counter.

"Emmett... Emmett... Emmett... He..." Bella attempted to talk through her laughter but failed.

So, Rose tried. "He... He... He did not... know..." She failed, too.

I looked at the Cullen men. Emmett was glaring at Rose and Bella now.

"You see, Emmett has never been much of a cook. He tends to take a few... creative liberties." Edward started to explain.

"He tried to cook the eggs before cracking them open, and when that failed, he threw everything he had made into a pan and cracked a couple eggs over them." Jasper interrupted Edward.

"What you are smelling is burnt toast, bacon, eggs, cheese, ketchup, and jelly." Edward finished.

"Hey! It all gets mixed up in your belly! I just tried to take out a step or two and mix it together to begin with!" Emmett yelled at everyone.

I took a couple hesitant steps towards the pan that was sitting on the stove. I looked inside and bit my cheek. It was the most repulsive looking mess I have ever seen. I backed away slowly, not making eye contact with the 'chef'. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward cover his mouth with a hand, obviously holding in laughter. I made one minor mistake.

I looked at the girls.

As soon as my eyes hit them, the three of us burst into laughter. After a couple minutes of laughter, and Emmett storming out, we tried to calm down when Bella started saying 'ow' between chuckles. We decided to get dressed and head down to a diner nearby.

I smiled as we walked to the diner. Today was turning into a great day.

**A/N: Hey again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

**I just wanted to respond to a review really quick:**

**TwilightFreek12 - you said something about wishing Jacob wasn't the bad guy in the story, and I get that. But someone had to be the bad guy in the beginning. I am keeping this story in just the POV's of the Awesome 6, though, so you don't really see his side of anything. So, I wanted to let you know that I _have_ thought about his side, in depth, while writing this! Basically, for Jacob(and Bella), their relationship was his first. He fell in love young, and their relationship started out mainly long-distance, since she was only around during the summer for the most part. Once he graduated from high school, they decided to move to New York together. That is a big step that neither of them were really ready for. She got sucked into the band and her friends, and he got sucked into work and the new friends he found. They grew apart, and they were moving towards a break up long before he cheated, neither of them wanted to admit it. So, they stayed together, while their lives went in diferent directions, and bad things happen. **

**Ok, that is the short version, stay tuned, though, because I am planning a chapter before too long that will delve into all of their histories and what brought them to where they are now. Ok, let me go write more of the next chapter! **

**~AP**


	24. Lose My Number

**A/N: Hey guys! Ok this chapter is a little shorter than usual, and it is kind of a filler chapter. A little fluff. Next chapter should be up this weekend and it will be longer and better. Much better! :) Thanks for the reviews! They make my day! That nice warm and squishy feeling they give me makes me smile. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Ok, go, read, enjoy, REVIEW!**

**~AP**

BPOV

After we made our ways home from the diner, everyone left for work except for me. I had today off. I decided to pull my laptop out and play some solitaire. 45 minutes and five games of solitaire later, I sighed. I decided to look into songs for the show in a couple days. After finding a couple choices, I heard my phone beep.

_How are you feeling?_

I smiled, Edward is worried about me.

_Fine. How is work?_

I set down my phone and clicked through a couple more songs. My phone beeped again.

_Dead. I might get off early. When are Rose and Alice supposed to be home?_

_I think Rose will be home around 7 and Alice won't be back until late tonight._

I found a few more songs and saved them into a folder. We might have to bring Paul on stage with us this week, I don't know if I will be able to handle a guitar due to my injuries. Beep.

_I am going pick up lunch for us on my way home. Any preference?_

_Italien. Any idea of when you will be showing up?_

I looked at the clock and saw that it was about eleven in the morning now. I went back to searching for songs. Beep.

_Boss just told me to leave now. So I will be there by twelve. _

_See you soon. :)_

I set my phone down and decided to jump into the shower. I left my computer on the dining room table, and after I finished with the shower, I moved back out to it. I started pulling up songs again, trying to decide on the stack of songs I had gone through already. Suddenly, I felt two arms wrap around my shoulders. I jumped and turned around to see Edward smiling at me.

"Hey."

"Hi." I leaned up and kissed him softly.

"Hungry?"

"Very." I smiled and turned to watch him pile pasta onto two plates. I got up and poured two glasses of water, setting them down as he set the two plates down.

"Smells great." We sat down and started eating in silence.

It almost surprised me how comfortable it felt to just _be_ around him. Even with Jake, I always felt like I needed to fill space with chit chat. Edward and I were happy just being around each other.

"What were you doing when I got here? You didn't even hear me come in." He asked after a few more minutes of silence.

"Just looking up songs for the show this week."

I watched him take a drink, and tilted my head. He seemed confused about something.

"You guys are doing the show this week?"

I laughed a little. "Of course. Why wouldn't we?"

I gave a pointed look at my arm. I looked at the arm I kept cradled close to my side. There was barely any pain, so I had not even put on the sling this morning.

"I was thinking we would ask Paul to step in and play guitar, I would just be singing."

He nodded at that, seeming to accept it. But I know him better than that.

"What?"

"I just thought you would want to rest this week." He shrugged, taking another bite of pasta.

"I am going back to work tomorrow, might as well not change anything else about life over a couple sore spots." We finished our food and pushed the plates back a little.

"You are going back to work? So soon?" This really seemed to bug him.

"I will go nuts if I am stuck sitting at home all day every day. I need to go back to work." I smiled at him, trying to reassure him that I was fine. He nodded, but I could tell he was still unsure.

"Want to watch a movie or something?" He asked while standing up and clearing the plates.

"Sure. Want to watch anything in particular?" I walked into the living room to look through our collection of movies.

He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Not really. Just nothing too girly."

I laughed and grabbed SuperBad. Emmett would be happy with my movie choice. After putting the dvd in, Edward and I settled onto the couch.

~*~*~

EmPOV

My job sucks.

The only place that hired me was this stupid gym. I hate gyms. I mean, who wants to spend all their time with sweaty, smelly people? I mean, seriously!

Finally, I was allowed to leave work. I ran out of there as fast as I could. The sooner I got home, the sooner I saw people I actually wanted to be around.

As I ran out to the jeep, my phone rang. Figuring it was my Rosie, I answered without looking or listening.

"Hey babe, I am on my way home now. Are you in Virginia or Pennsylvania?" I chucked my work things in the back of the jeep and climbed into the drivers seat.

"Hey baby. What are you talking about, Virginia or Pennsylvania? I thought you were in New York." My head hit the steering wheel when I heard the confused voice.

"What do you want, Kate? I thought someone else was calling me." I sighed.

"When are you coming home, baby? I miss you."

"You do not get to call me 'baby' ever again." I growled into the phone. It was bad enough she had cheated on me, but then she had to hurt Bella. I had no patience for her.

"Did I do something wrong?"

I laughed. "Yes. Yes, you did. You have done many wrong things."

"Like what? Accepting you leaving me to 'find yourself' on the other side of the country. I am even willing to forgive you and take you back since you broke up with me."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to keep myself calm.

"Accepted me leaving? You threw a hissy fit and cheated on my constantly. _You_ forgive _me_, again, YOU CHEATED ON ME!!" Ok, maybe I was not so good at this whole 'keeping my cool' stuff. "And to top it all off, you injured my baby sister! WITH FOOD!"

"She is not your sister, Emmett. Or, if she is, that is really gross."

Now I was confused.

"How is that gross? Bella is awesome."

"It is gross, because she is _so_ doing Edward. So, your 'baby sister' and 'baby brother' are a happy little couple. Tanya is pissed about that, by the way." She sounded almost bored with the conversation.

"Wait, Bella and Edward are not together." I shook my head, then stopped when I realized she couldn't see me.

She laughed. "Oh, yes, they are. It was so obvious."

"Whatever, Kate. Look, we are done, no longer together. We will never get back together. Lose my number." And I hung up.

I shook my head again and started the jeep. She purred to life and I headed home.

Bella and Edward were not together. They deny it constantly, and none of us have caught them doing anything.

*****

EdPOV

The movie ended and Bella was asleep in my arms. Looking at the time, I realized that everyone would be home soon. Bella seemed to be having fun with the whole not telling them about us thing. Sigh. I would love to tell everyone I meet that I am with the most beautiful woman in the world.

It is not that I think she is embarassed by me or anything, I think it is just enjoyable to her for Alice and Rose to not know something. And this is something they are going nuts trying to figure out. It seems to have become a game. I have almost told my brothers several times, but I stopped myself. They would cave in and tell the girls, and that would ruin Bella's fun. I am not messing with anything that makes my Bella happy.

I kissed the top of her head, then felt her stir.

"Edward?" She yawned as she stretched a little.

"I didn't mean to wake you." I rubbed her back.

"No, they will be home soon." She sighed, then smiled up at me. "I know you want to tell them, and we will."

I leaned down and kissed her softly. That was what got to me the most - not being able to kiss or hold her infront of them.

"Bella?" I looked down at her.

"Hmm?" She sighed again.

"Will you go on a date with me tomorrow night?" I felt almost foolish, like I shouldn't have to ask my girlfriend on a date. But it would be our first one.

She laughed a little. "Yes, Edward, I will go on a date with you tomorrow night."

She started to move to get off of me, and heard her whimper softly.

"Whats wrong?" I helped her sit up.

"Just my side. Still sore. Where are my pills?"

I got up and grabbed them and a glass of water for her. She quickly popped one in her mouth and took a swallow of the water.

"Your a mess, Bella." I laughed, seeing her hair stick up in odd places.

She groaned as she stood and walked to the bathroom. I watched her go.

Sigh. I can't wait for tomorrow night... where should I take her?


	25. First Date

**A/N: Hello Lovelies! Well, I am hoping you all like this chapter! It is a pretty simple one, not a lot happening. But, it is Bella and Edward's first date. So, yay! Now, I am not sure about exact distance from the apartments to the restaurant or the restaurant to the ice cream shop, but all are actual places in NY, and I used the online menu for the restaurant to get things right. I also used to work at the same chain of ice cream shop, so I knew what I was working with. :) **

**I have a decent idea of what I am planning for the next chapter, and it should be more fun than the past couple. Back to the fun times with the Awesome 6, instead of cute small moments with the individual couples.**

**Now, go, read, enjoy. REVIEW!!**

**~AP**

BPOV

So tonight was the date with Edward. It had not seemed like that big of a deal when he asked me, but now I was getting nervous. Where are we going? What should I wear? Questions I could not ask my best friends.

This little game the three of us were playing was really getting in the way!

Luckily, the girls had to work today, too, so I was able to go through my clothes without them watching. Edward said he would pick me up for the date around 6 o'clock, so we would not run into any of them.

I had finally found my outfit and I smiled at myself in the mirror. I was no Rosalie, but I had to admit I did not look half-bad. I had straightened my hair and pulled half of it up, letting my bangs hand loosely to the side. Minimal make-up, just some eye liner and lip gloss.

The top I had chosen was a light blue halter top, with a dropped pale pink tank top ontop of it. I had paired with it a flowing pink skirt that hit just above my knees - that I had stolen from Rose. I also stole a cropped jean jacket from Rose. I had no idea what Edward had planned for us, so I kept it all casual, but nice. Including my shoes. I had chosen a pair of blue Ugg boots, that came up to just below my knees.

I stole a long white dangly neclace, pink and blue bangle bracelets and a small white purse from Alice, as well. I smiled at myself, proud of my ability to dress myself. After taking a quick picture of the outfit to show the girls sometime - so that they get off my back about dressing myself - I grabbed a pair of sweats and threw them into a bag. Edward and I had agreed to stash sweats in the laundry room, so we could change out of our 'date clothes' before seeing the group again. Alice and Rose would flip if they saw us come home together, dressed nicely.

I was _not_ losing the game. They will find out when I want them to.

6 o'clock quickly rolled around, and I heard a quick knock on the door. A smile spread across my face as I openned the door. Edward stood there in a nice pair of dark jeans and a dark green button up shirt that made his eyes seem even more vivid. I stetched onto my tip-toes to kiss him gently before grabbing my bad I had set at the door and walked out. After a quick stop at the laundry room to drop off our bags, we stepped onto the elevator.

"Any chance I can convince you to tell me where we are going?" I smiled up at him.

"Nope." He smiled and leaned down to kiss me softly.

I sighed and grabbed his hand. My first date with Edward. Sigh.

"Is something wrong?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

I smiled at him. "Not a thing."

He nodded as the doors openned and we stepped out. Walking to the curb, he quickly flagged down a cab and we climbed in. He gave the driver the address and then sat back with me. It did not take long to get to the restaurant and while he was paying the driver, I looked at where we were.

_**Hatsuhana**_

"Rose and Alice have told me about this place. I have never been though." I looked at him when he was standing next to me again. If I remembered correctly, this was a bit of an expensive place.

He led the way in, and told the lady at the podium what name the reservation was under. We were quickly led to a table in the middle of the place. Edward pulled out my seat for me, then took his place across from me.

"Have you been here before?" I asked as I looked over the menu.

"Never. I figured it would be a little adventure for us." He smiled at me.

When the waitress came to our table, he ordered some sake and something called Unagi Kyuri Maki. When she walked away, I looked up at him quickly.

"What is sake?"

"Sake is a japanese rice wine. It is good."

I smiled at him, looking at the menu to see what the other thing was. I quickly found it: _a hatsuhana original, broiled eel wrapped in cucumber sheet, cut into discs and basted with sweet eel sauce._ I made a face.

"You really _are_ taking me on an adventure, aren't you?" He laughed as I shook my head, looking over the rest of the menu.

Since I had no clue what kind of sushi I would like, Edward decided we should get two orders of the Sushi Deluse. One order entailed ten peices of sushi and one roll, all selected by the chef. Sounded resonable - who would know what is the best better than the chef? Plus, this way, if there was anything I did not like, Edward could eat it, and vice versa.

Edward made our order when the waitress came back with the appetizer, the sake and two waters. He poured some sake in two of the small cups that the waitress had set with it, and handed one to me.

"It's warm." I stated when I took mine.

He laughed a little and nodded.

"But, isn't wine supposed to be cold?" I was really confused by this.

"This is not normal wine, though. It tastes best warm." Edward explained, I shrugged.

He held up his little cup and I tapped mine against it. We both sipped and I smiled.

"It's not too bad." He laughed at me again as I smiled.

We started eating the eel, and soon after, the rest of our meal was brought out to us. It was mostly quite tastey, really. I had never given sushi a thought before, honestly it freaked me out a little to be eating raw fish. But, I liked most of it. Edward paid our bill and we slipped back outside.

Instead of hailing another cab, as I had expected, Edward grabbed hold of my hand and started walking down the sidewalk. I looked around at the buildings as we passed them, enjoying the time I had alone with him.

"Have I told you yet tonight how beautiful you are?" He smiled down at me.

"No, but feel free to." I giggled a little.

"You look amazing." He leaned down and kissed me softly.

A couple blocks away from the restaurant, Edward stopped and openned a door. I read the sign on the door and saw we were at Maggie Moo's Ice Cream and Treatery. There was a picture of a cow waving, also. I grinned, stepping inside. The store was not very big, but we stepped into the short line. I glanced over the choices, trying to make my decision.

"What are you getting?" I asked, looking at him behind me.

"I am a bit partial to their Better Batter ice cream." He smiled at me.

I 'mmm'd and looked back over everything. I had just decided when it was our turn to order. He got a Better Batter with brownies mixed into it on a cone, and I got an expresso bean with oreo's mixed in, in a cup. We waited for our ice cream, then he paid, again, and we stepped back out onto the sidewalk. We stood off to the side, eating and people watching.

"Oh, geez, look at her!" I pointed to a lady walking by.

"Could she possibly have a faker looking tan?" He scoffed, licking the side of his ice cream.

"Ew, look at him! Someone needs to tell him that spandex is no longer in style!" I giggled.

"What about that guy? Does he not realize it is night? There is absolutely no need for sunglasses."

"Wow, that woman needs like two more inches on that skirt to at least cover her rear!"

We laughed and kept eating our ice cream. At one point I reached my spoon over and swiped some of his while he was laughing at a very manly woman.

"Hey! You have your own!" He practically yelled, trying to protect his cone.

I laughed. "Yours _is_ really tastey, though." I tried to reach around him to swipe some more. He easily stole my spoon, though, and stole a bite of my ice cream before I could dodge.

"Hey!" I laughed.

"Yours is good, too. Wait, should you be eating _expresso bean_ ice cream? Are you going to turn into Alice?"

"No! There is not nearly enough here to get me hyper. Now, give me back my spoon!"

After a while, we finished our desert and hailed a cab. It was nearly nine when we arrived back at our building, and we were still laughing about some of the people we had seen. We took turns in the laundry room changing. One watched the hall to make sure we had privacy while the other changed into their sweats. Once we were both changed, we hid our date clothes in the laundry room again, and headed off towards our little family. Before we rounded the last corner towards the apartments, Edward stopped me.

"Well, tonight was a lot of fun." He smiled at me.

I could not help the grin that spread across my face.

"It really was. Even though you would not let me pay for anything." I jokingly scoffed.

He chuckled as well, and we stood there for a moment longer. He leaned down slowly and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Our lips met, gently at first, but the kiss grew quickly. My hands were running through his hair as his ran a trail of fire up and down my back. After a minute we broke apart, breathing heavily.

"I suppose I should let you get inside so the girls can drill you on where you have been all night. Do we have a story lined up?" He smirked at me.

"I was out with Angela, one of my friends from work. Where were you?" We were still holding each other tightly, so I felt his warm breath on my face as he breathed.

"I went out with a people from work. It was someone's birthday."

I kissed him again, softly, then we untangled ourselves and walked towards our seperate apartments. I grinned before openning my door and stepping inside.

*****

RPOV

Alice and I got home around the same time. To an empty apartment. We both showered and changed into pajama's before heading over to Pennsylvania, figuring Bella was over there with the guys. We walked in and found Emmett sprawled out on the sofa.

"Hey, where is everyone?" I asked, sitting next to him. Alice took a spot on the arm of the sofa.

"Jasper is taking a shower and I have no clue where Edward and Bella are. They weren't here when I got home." He shrugged.

I glanced at Alice. She looked just as sceptical as I felt.

"Edward and Bella are both missing?" She asked just as Jasper came into the livingroom, also in pajama's.

"Yea. Edward sent me a text earlier saying he had something to do with people from work. Someone's birthday, I think." Jasper shrugged and kissed Alice quickly.

She and I both pulled out our cell phones, looking to see if Bella had told either of us about any plans for tonight. Nothing.

"I wonder where Bella is." Alice nodded her agreement. Bella did not usually just disappear.

We decided to watch a movie and wait for them to get home. Not long after the movie ended, Edward walked in, wearing sweats. Weird, usually if you go out to celebrate something, you dress nicely.

"Hey." Alice greated him as we walked in.

He acknowledged her with a nod before walking into his room. He came out soon after, looking through something in his cell phone.

"How was work?" Emmett asked, not even looking away from the television.

"Eh, it was work." Jasper and Emmett nodded, accepting that response. Alice and I shared a look. These boys do not communicate much.

"Hey, Edward, have you talked to Bella?" Alice asked, this at least got his attention.

"She sent me a text earlier, why?"

My eyes narrowed, he was lying.

"She just did not tell us what she was doing tonight, and we were getting a little worried." Alice seemed to be picking up on it, too.

Just then, the front door openned again and Bella walked in. Also wearing sweats. Something fishy is going on.

"Where have you been, missy?" Alice asked her.

"Hung out with Angela tonight." She shrugged.

She took a seat on the floor as far from Edward as she could. They had been avoiding each other infront of us for a while.

"What did you and Angela do?" I asked, trying to find a flaw in her story.

"We went out to dinner, then she showed me her new apartment."

"Where did you go to dinner?" Alice asked this one.

"Just a deli down the road. Nothing fancy."

Ok, there we have it, she is _totally_ lying! Alice caught it, too. Bella is wearing make-up. She does not wear make-up unless it is bar night or unless she has a date. She obviously went on a date. But, if Edward was with people from work, who did Bella go on a date with? And what did she wear?

"Why are you wearing make-up?" Alice and I wear totally on the same page.

"Am I not allowed to try to look nice for a friend?" Bella defended.

"Not in sweats." Alice scoffed.

"I did not wear sweats out. I changed into them before coming over here."

My eyes narrowed at my best friend.

"What did you have for dinner?" I had to trip her up.

"I had a chef salad, Angela had some sort of sandwhich. I had a green tea, too." She smirked. Oh, she is good. She knows we are on to her. I glared at her now.

The guys were watching us all curiously now. I understand it now, they do not question anything the others say. Silly boys. Don't they know, you can't trust anyone!

"Lies!" Alice finally yelped.

Bella started laughing. "Ladies, just give up."

"Never!" I yelled this time.

"Am I the only one who feels out of the loop?" Edward asked.

"Not in the least bit." Jasper responded.

"Did Bella like kill someone, or something?" Emmett seemed the most confused.

"What makes you think she killed someone?" I laughed at my boyfriend.

"The way you two are grilling her. It is like you know she did something bad, and you just want her to admit it. I would fold under the pressure instantly. More power to you, little sister. Stay strong!" He feld up a fist and Bella bumped her own against it, smirking at us.

"Emmett! Do not support the enemy!" I yelled, smacking his chest.

"I am going to go read." Bella stood up and made her way out of the apartment.

"Damn you, Emmett! We almost had her!" Alice yelled.

Edward smirked and walked into his bedroom. I glared at him. He _so_ was not with work people tonight.

"It was _him_!" I glared at his closed door.

"What?!" Alice yelped, again.

"She was on a date with him!" I pointed at Edward's door. "He smirked!"

Alice turned to glare at his door, too. We were going to catch them. And we were going to do it soon!

**A/N: Ok, so I am planning for everyone to know about Edward and Bella within the next couple chapters. Now, should it all go down by someone professing their love for the other infront of everyone, or kind of an 'oops they just walked in on us making out'? What do you guys think? Let me know soon!**


	26. This I Promise You

**A/N: Hey all! Ok, this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but that is only because I wanted to write in other POV's instead of E and B. There is some truth coming out, and some surprises. Even a proposal. **

**Ok, go, read, enjoy! REVIEW!**

**~AP**

JPOV

I am not going to lie, it was a little scary how the girls tried to disect everything Bella said last night. I mean, as long as my brother is happy, all is well. Right? Does it matter if he does not want to tell everyone his every move? Does it? I mean, we have always been pretty honest with each other, and I have told him everything about Alice and I. But it is not like he has flat out lied, right?

Wait, he _has_ lied about it.

Why would he lie? He knows everything about Alice and I, everything about Rose and Emmett. Why would he lie about himself and Bella? Is he mad at us?

About this time I realized I was getting really upset by all of this. Not acceptable. I am a man. Men do not get upset when other men don't tell them about their love life. I. Am. A. Man.

Maybe I should confront him without Emmett around. Emmett always seems to make him defensive.

Emmett was at work, so Edward and I were sitting around watching t.v. The girls were at rehearsal.

"Hey, uh, Edward?" I was unsure about how I was going to approach this.

"Yuh?" He grunted.

"I, uh, have something that, uh, I want to ask you."

He glanced over at me and laughed a little.

"Spit it out Jasper."

"Are you, or aren't you dating Bella?" I watched the emotions fly through his eyes.

"Does it matter?" He put up a wall and looked back at the television.

"Not really. I am just curious." I shrugged, trying to seem indifferent.

"Yes." He sighed.

"You are?" I sat up a little straighter. I had expected him to keep lying.

"Yes. And, yes, last night we were on a date."

"How long have you guys been together?"

He did not respond, just looking at the soda can in his hand.

"That long, eh?" I smirked at him.

"It started out with her being unsure about telling the girls. She did not want a fuss to be made. Now, it has turned into a big game of wits. Can she keep it a secret or will they somehow figure it out?" He laughed a little.

"Are you O.K. with that?"

He shrugged.

"I get to spend a lot of time with her. So, really, I don't mind. It just sucks when we are around the group and I can't hug her, or kiss her, or even hold her in any way." He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

I laughed. "You are whipped already."

"Like you are one to talk!"

"I am _not_ whipped. Just.. wound a little tightly around her finger." Yea, I am whipped.

"Just don't tell Alice. I do not want to get in trouble for spilling."

I nodded, giving him my word that I would keep his secret.

*****

APOV

Rose and I had decided that this weekend we would try to prove that Edward and Bella were dating. Now, we just had to figure out what we would do to do that.

These two were proving to be quite sneaky.

Rehearsal was almost over, and it had been a little wierd with Paul standing in, but Bella _is _injured. I was quite happy with the song choices this week. Some new stuff was on the list. It always made me happy when we had new songs to do, doing the same ones over and over got boring. We had our normal I Love Rock And Roll that was our theme song, but we added some Britney Spears and Gretchen Wilson to the mix.

It amazed me sometimes how many people came to our shows. I mean, it is not like we did one certain type of music, we did everything. So, we had fans from all walks of life. It was refreshing to see all these people could co-exist so easily together.

Bella has made a point of every week, she keeps her Bellaby Time song a secret. Well, except the one week. But that was only because she needed Rose and I to help with the costume change. Today she let us know that this weeks song was going to be special.

Maybe she is going to admit that she and Edward are dating. No, that would be too easy. She has put up too much of an effort to just tell us. Sigh.

Rehearsal ended and Rose and I left to meet up with the guys. Bella needed to talk to someone about something. We walked over to the deli, talking about the songs we had chosen. The guys were waiting for us, with the food we always get here. I smiled, we trained them well.

"Hello, Ladies. How was rehearsal?" Emmett asked as we sat down.

"Good. Picked out some new songs." Rose said after giving him a quick kiss.

"Where is Bella?" Edward asked, of course.

"She had to stay back and talk to someone about something. She said she would meet us here." I shrugged.

Eventually Bella joined us.

"Hey. What did you need to do back at the bar?" Edward asked before she could even sit down.

"Just setting up a favor for a fan." She smiled. Not letting us in on the secret.

"Care to elaborate?" Rose asked after sipping her green tea.

"You will all see. You know I do not talk about anything before the show!" She laughed at us.

"At least tell us who the favor is for?" I was really curious.

She sighed, overdramatically. "James and Victoria. Well, really just James."

Those two had been fans of ours since the beginning, so it seemed understandable that Bella would agree to a favor for them. But, how did they ask her for the favor? It is not like she is ever alone at the shows, so when would he ask?

Dinner finished too quickly for my liking, and it was time to head back to the bar. Jasper and I walked, hand in hand, behind everyone else. Just chatting for the couple of blocks until we made it there. Since Paul was performing with us tonight, Jared was the bouncer. He let us all in, they were all getting used to the guys now, so we had no more issues of anyone trying to make them pay the covercharge.

Bella disappeared quickly, and I saw her talking to James.

When she joined us, we quickly jumped into our set. Bella started with All Jacked Up by Gretchen Wilson, which did a good job of getting people pumped up. We followed it up with our theme song, then moved swiftly into Freakshow by Britney Spears. We mixed in some Kiss, Jimmy Eat World, Christina Aquilera. Some Pearl Jam, Aerosmith. Normal songs for us. All of it keeping the crowd pumped.

Bellaby Time came, and Rose and I quickly left the stage to stand with the guys. Bella made her way to center stage with the new stool that the bar got for her. Paul was still on stage with her guitar. She adjusted the mic, and started introducing the song.

"Hello, everyone! Thank you for coming to the show! We love you all!" Rose and I whistled and screamed our agreement to that. "Well, I know for Bellaby Time, I normally pick out a song that I am currently loving and perform it for you all. But, this week, we have a slight change. This is a special song for a great fan of the band. His name is James." A spotlight came on and shone right on James and Victoria. She looked quite shocked. "James has a question he would like to ask his lovely girlfriend Victoria." She paused and all eyes were on the couple. James slowly lowered himself down to one knee and there was an audible gasp from all the women in the bar. From where we were, we could see his lips moving and hear his voice a little, but the words were a mystery. After a moment, Victoria nodded her head vehemently and everyone cheered. James was on his feet, kissing her instantly. "Congrats to the happy couple! This is for you, Victoria."

Paul started playing the song and I recognized it instantly. Rose and I sang along, so did almost every woman in the audience.

_Oh, oh._

_When the visions around you_

_Bring tears to your eyes._

_And all that surrounds you_

_Are secrets and lies._

_I'll be your strength_

_I'll give you hope._

_Keeping your faith when it's gone._

_The one you should call_

_Was standing here all along._

_And I will take_

_You in my arms_

_And hold you right where you belong._

_Til' the day my life is through_

_This I promise you._

_This I promise you._

_I've loved you forever_

_In lifetimes before._

_And I promise you never_

_Will you hurt anymore._

_I give you my word_

_I give you my heart._

_This is a battle we've won._

_And with this vow_

_Forever has now begun._

_Just close your eyes (Close your eyes)_

_Each loving day (Each loving day)_

_And know this feeling_

_Won't go away (No)_

_Til' the day my life is through_

_This I promise you._

_This I promise you._

_Over and Over I fall_

_When I hear you call._

_Without you in my life, baby_

_I just wouldn't be living at all._

_And I will take_

_You in my arms (I will take you in my arms)_

_And hold you right_

_Where you belong (Right where you belong)_

_Til' the day my life is though_

_This I promise you, babe._

_Just close you eyes_

_Each loving day (Each loving day)_

_And know this feeling_

_Won't go away (No)_

_Every word I say is true_

_This I promise you_

_Every word I say is true_

_This I promise you._

_Ooh, I promise you._

This I Promise You by *NSYNC. Such a beautiful song. It was really cute, Paul sand the little back-up vocal parts. I had never realized he had a decent voice. Nothing special, but it was nice all the same. You could easily see that Victoria was crying. Bella smiled and thanked the audience before making her way back to us.

~*~*~

The show last night was a lot of fun. Well, bar night is _always_ a lot of fun. Today, though, I decided to do something I have wanted to do for a while. I woke up before everyone else, and got dressed quickly. I made my way down to the garage and hopped into my car.

Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was almost 10. They would be waking up soon.

I made it to the store quickly and looked around. One caught my eye, and I went to find someone who worked there.

~*~*~

An hour later, after signing papers and making sure I had everything I needed, I was in my car again - with my purchase. I got to the building and climbed out. Making my way to the elevator, I started to wonder what everyone would say. Most likely they will all think I am nuts, but I do not care. I have not had one of these in a long time.

The elevator doors openned on our floor and I stepped out. I slowly made my way to Virginia and carefully openned the door. I heard voices in the living room, and realized that the Pajama Party had started.

"Alice?" I heard Jasper call out.

"It's me." I called back, walking into the apartment.

Jasper appeared in the hallway.

"What the?" He looked confused.

I gave him my biggest smile and watched as everyone else came over to see what he was looking at.

"Surprise!" I made a small 'tada' wave of my hands, waiting for what was coming next.

**A/N: Ok, again, it is a little cliffy! What is Alice's surprise? Is everyone going to be happy with it, or are they gona flip out? Only next chapter can tell! Hehe**

**Ok, next chapter I am going back to E and B. I am slowly working in everything I want to, so stay tuned for more fluff and chaos. Emmett will be showing how nuts he is, again, soon. Bye! **

**Don't forget to review!!!**


	27. Dog Whisperer

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter! Another shorter one, but it is a good one! :)**

**ARenee363 - you get a cookie! You guessed right on what Alice's surprise was.**

**Ok, onto the story!**

**Go, read, enjoy. REVIEW!**

**-AP**

BPOV

We were all sitting around Virginia, trying to decide what to do today. Alice was M.I.A., though, so we all felt a little weird trying to make plans without her. I didn't hear the door open, but Jasper called out.

"Alice?"

"It's me." I heard Alice's voice call from the doorway. Why wasn't she in the living room already?

Jasper walked to the hallway and froze.

"What the?"

We all shared a look, then rushed to see what had him confused.

We all froze.

"Surprise!" Alice did a small 'tada' hand wave and we all stared.

Alice was standing in the doorway... with a dog. Well, a puppy. It was busy sniffing our hall closet, so I took the time to look over it. It was a boxer, which is an adorable dog, it was mostly brown with a few black spots and a white underbelly. Alice had a little pink t-shirt on it, and a pink bow tied to one of it's ears.

"What is _that_?!" Emmett called from behind me.

Alice rolled her eyes. "It is a dog. My dog." She beamed at us.

"Alice? Why do you have a dog?" Rose asked next.

"Well, see, I have wanted one for a while. I haven't had one in forever, and I wanted one. So I got one. Is that ok? Bella? Rose? Do you mind?" She pouted at us and I made the mistake of looking away from her and at the dog.

It was giving me a sad face, too. Like it knew it had to sway one of us and it took the easy target. I started to give in but told myself dogs are a big responsibilty.

Then it barked.

It was such a cute, puppy bark. I looked at Rose and I am pretty sure my pout rivalled Alice's. She sighed.

"Alright, mutt, you get to stay."

I let out a small squeal and jumped over to pet the puppy.

"Hey! Princess is not a mutt! She is purebred!" Alice defended the dog.

"Alice?" I called from my spot crouched down with the dog.

"Yes, Bella?" She knelt down with me.

"Princess?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"You don't like the name?"

"No." Rose answered for me.

I took the leash off the dog and we all wandered back into the living room, watching it sniff everything.

"What should we name her?" Alice asked, after kissing Jasper quickly.

We had taken our original spots, Rose and Emmett on the couch, Jasper in our other chair - Alice sat on his lap. Edward and I on the floor.

"Hmm..." Rose was deep in thought.

I did not care. I was playing with our new puppy.

"Precious?" Alice threw out.

"No." Rose shot it down quickly.

"Lady?" Rose threw out.

Alice nodded, but I shook my head no. I went through the bag Alice had brought in with her and pulled out a rope toy. The puppy jumped over to me and started tugging on the rope. She sure is fiesty!

"Thor?" Emmett threw in.

"No!" The three of us shouted back at him.

"It's a girl dog!" Alice yelled at him. He just shrugged.

"Izzy?" Edward tossed out.

I thought it over. I liked it, Alice seemed sold, too. But Rose shook her head no.

"What is your name?" I asked the dog.

"Dude, is she seriously _talking_ to a dog?" Emmett laughed.

I glared at him.

"Bella has always had a soft spot for dogs. Any dog we pass in the streets, she has to stop and pet. She is like, the Dog Whisperer or something." Rose said. My glare transferred to her.

"Is there something wrong with liking dogs?" I pouted at everyone.

"No, Bella, there is nothing wrong with it!" Alice was on my side.

"Pixie?" I tossed out without thinking.

Alice and Rose got quiet. I looked up and they were both thinking it through. I waited.

"I like it." Alice said after a minute.

Rose nodded a little.

"It _is_ Alice's dog, and Alice is a pixie... it fits."

I smiled down at the dog.

"Is your name Pixie?" I cooed.

She barked and we all laughed.

"Hey, Alice, you know, boxers tend to get to be a decent size. Are you sure an apartment is the best place to have one?" Edward asked after a few minutes.

Rose, Alice and I glanced at each other. I shrugged, then Rose did.

"Eh, worst case, she gets too big and we hafta kick out Bella to make room for her." Alice shrugged.

"Hey!" I yelped. "But, I am the Dog Whisperer, remember? Kick out Rose!"

"Hey!" Rose yelled now. I gave her a small smile.

"Good point." Alice seemed to consider it.

"Hey!" Rose yelled louder this time, making everyone laugh.

~*~*~

Pajama Party Friday continued as it normally did. We watched a couple movies and lounged around. Everyone decided to get chinese food for dinner, so that is where they are. Well, everyone except Edward and I. Pixie had fallen asleep on my lap and I had not wanted to disturb her. So, I gave them my order and sent them all off. Edward offered to stay behind and keep me company though.

So, now I was sitting on the floor with Pixie, and Edward was on the couch behind me, gently massaging my shoulders.

"So, Bella. I was going to ask you something." Edward broke the silence after a minute or two.

"Mmm?" I could not form complete words while he was massaging me.

He chuckled a little, then stopped massaging. I turned and looked at him, pouting. He laughed again and leaned down to kiss me. I smiled at him.

"You were going to ask me something?"

"Oh, yea, my work is having this party... thing... next weekend. It is kind of fancy, so I understand if you say no. I was just wondering if you wanted to go with me?" He looked hopeful.

"Of course I will go with you!" I leaned up and kissed him again.

I sighed when we pulled away from each other.

"I guess I am going to lose the game."

He laughed. "Why?"

"I cannot get ready for a fancy party by myself. I will need Alice and Rose to help, and they will not believe I am getting all fancy for dinner with Angela." I laughed a little. "I will tell them this weekend." I amended.

Pixie woke up shortly after that and we decided to take her for a walk. She probably has to pee.

We walked for a few blocks and then back, Edward acting as pooper scooper with a couple little baggies. By the time we got back to the building, we figured everyone was already back with the food, so we stopped outside.

"How should I tell them?" I asked Edward.

"Maybe say 'Hey Alice, Rose. Edward and I are a couple.'?" He offered.

"No..." I was trying to figure it out. "Oh, I know! I will just bring up the gig next week, and while we are talking about it, I will slip something in about needing help getting ready for the party. Something subtle so they won't realize it at first." I smiled, happy to have figured out what I was going to do.

Edward just shook his head at me - he does not understand the game - and leaned down to kiss me. I am fairly sure it was meant to be a quick little kiss, but it morphed into more. We only broke apart when we heard a weird high pitched noise. I looked towards where the noise seemed to be coming from and froze. Edwards hands were on my waist still, and my one hand was around his neck and running through his hair, the other had hold of Pixie's leash.

The weird high pitched noise had a body attached to it. An Alice body attached to it. And she was running full speed at us now. The others were stopped several yards away from us, looking shocked. Well, Emmett and Rose were shocked, Jasper was smirking. Why was Jasper smirking?

Suddenly Alice was ontop of us.

"Caught you! I knew it! You _are_ dating! I win!" I glared at my best friend.

"You _so_ don't win! We were just talking about telling you! You just... you just..." I stuttered.

"Won." Alice finished for me. The others had joined us now. "Did you see them, Jazzy? We won!"

Alice squeled again, she even bounced a little.

"Yes, yes, you won. Now, can we get inside before the food gets cold?"

Alice stopped bouncing and glared at her boyfriend. Rose was staring at him, too.

"You knew." Rose accused. My eyes narrowed on Edward now. He gave me a way too innocent smile.

"You told him?" I gasped.

"You didn't tell me?!" Emmett boomed.

I stepped away from Edward.

"I just told my one brother who could keep a secret, and I _just_ told him like yesterday!" Edward tried to defend himself.

"You didn't tell me?" Alice was pouting at Jasper now.

"He made me promise! It never came up in conversation and I sort of forgot..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"You forgot that I told you I was dating the love of my life?" Edward half-yelled at his brother.

Everyone froze.

**A/N: I enjoy making things cliffy. :)**

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	28. Who Pee'd Their Pants?

**A/N: Hey All! Ok, well, this chapter starts out a bit somber, but it ends happily! The next couple chapter are going to be fluff and comedy. Nothing sad or angsty for a while! I promise! :)**

**Next chapter is going to center around Emmett a bit, so be ready for the crazy! hehe.**

**Ok, go, read, enjoy! REVIEW!**

**~AP**

EPOV

Oh. My. God. Did I just say that? Ok, it is ok. Damage control. Bella has only told me she loved me once and she was high.

"I mean, I just told you like yesterday. How did you forget already?" Everyone was still staring at me. "I can't believe you did not tell Alice. I assumed you would run and tell her right away."

That at least snapped Alice out of her shock.

"Why did you not come tell me?" She smacked his arm a little.

"He made me promise! And Emmett is the gossip, not me, Edward!" Jasper defended himself.

"Hey! I am _so_ not a gossip!" Emmett yelled.

I sighed, happy that everyone was moving on from my little slip up. Well, almost everyone. I glanced at Bella, who was still staring at me. I smiled at her and she just simply turned and walked inside the building with Pixie.

Shit.

We all followed behind her, piling into the elevator. Alice stood on the opposite side of the thing from Jasper, who was glaring at me. Rose and Emmett were both smirking at all of this. Bella was still in shock, it seemed. I concentrated on not hyperventilating. Why had I said that? Why did I not think before shouting?

We made our ways into Virginia and everyone got plates of food before sitting in the living room. Everyone ate in relative silence while we watched some movie that Alice had put on. I have no clue what the movie is, and I just picked at my food. I wanted to talk to Bella about this, but not infront of everyone else. I wish I knew what she was thinking. She was not even touching her food, not even to pick at it like I was.

I scared her off.

Suddenly she stood up, placing her plate on the coffee table, she walked to the bathroom and shut the door.

"What is wrong with her?" Alice asked, glaring at me still. I shrugged.

She hates me now.

"You two seemed quite cozy when we first saw you making out infront of the building. So, what would freak her..." Rose trailed off.

I glanced at her and she seemed to be on the same page as me.

"What? What is it?" Alice demanded.

"Edward said he loved her." Rose explained.

Alice still looked a bit lost.

"I am guessing she was not expecting that." Rose looked to me for confirmation.

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"Eddieboy jumped the gun." Emmett laughed.

Jasper and Alice glared at him as Rose smacked the back of his head.

"I think I am going to go lay down." I sighed and stood up. After putting my dinner in the refridgerator, I walked out of the apartment and back over to Pennsylvania.

*****

APOV

I was still peeved when we got back to the apartment and started eating. I was getting over it, but slowly. How could Jazzy not tell me?

I noticed Edward and Bella were not eating. Are they really that upset that we all know? Punks.

Suddenly Bella practically leapt to the bathroom. We all watched her go, not saying a word.

"What is wrong with her?" I glared at Edward. What did he do? He just shrugged at me.

"You two seemed quite cozy when we first saw you making out infront of the building. So, what would freak her..." Rose trailed off.

I looked at her, but she was staring at Edward. Something passed between them. No. More. Secrets!

"What? What is it?" I demanded.

"Edward said he loves her." Rose said, as if that explained anything.

Ok? Am I missing something? They are in love, no shock there.

"I am guessing she was not expecting that." Rose looked to Edward for confirmation and he nodded.

"Eddieboy jumped the gun." Emmett guffawed.

I glared at him while Rosalie smacked him in the head. Stupid boy. Why would Bella freak out over Edward saying he loved her? Isn't that generally a good thing?

"I think I am going to go lay down." Edward sighed and practically ran out of the apartment.

I looked around at the three others who were sitting with me. No one said anything. I sighed and petted Pixie, who was asleep on Jaspers lap. I was about to go check on Bella when the bathroom door openned. She walked out and looked at all of us, then her gaze landed on the spot where Edward had been sitting. I could faintly see the red rimming her eyes.

"Where...?" She looked at me.

"He went back to Pennsylvania." I explained.

She nodded and stood where she was. After a minute, she sighed and walked to the front door. When she was gone, I looked at Rose.

"Now, explain to me why it is such a bad thing that Edward used the 'L' word."

*****

BPOV

Edward said he loves me. He loves me? Me? Really?

I can accept that he likes me, even though that is odd itself. I am so plain, while he is so... Godly. I am no where near his league.

I somewhat remember the haze of walking back inside the building, the elevator ride. The walk to the apartment, and piling food on a plate. There is no way I can eat right now. Alice put on a movie and I just stared at the screen. I don't even remember what movie this is. There is some sort of robot... or something. I don't know. It feels like my whole right side is on fire with Edward sitting next to me. He is not eating, either. Maybe he regrets saying he loved me. That must be it.

That thought sends such a wave of sadness through me that I have to move. I place my food on the coffee table and quickly retreat to the bathroom.

After shutting the door, I lean back against it. I feel a few tears silent slide down my cheeks. I had no clue I felt so strongly about him. I knew there were intense feelings, but I had mostly chalked it up to a crush and lust. Who _wouldn't_ feel lust towards Edward Cullen. I repeat - he is Godly.

Ok, now I am talking to myself. A short laugh escapes my lips. I am going insane.

I walk to the mirror and quickly wipe away the tears that are leaving trails down my cheeks and splash water on myself. I need to get ahold of myself. After a couple more splashes of cold water, I grab the towel off the bar and wipe off my face. I pull my hair out of the messy bun I had thrown it into earlier and brush out all of the knots. After finishing that, I put it back up into a messy bun and decide to brush my teeth. When I am done with that, I search the cabinet for floss.

Once I finish flossing, plucking my eye brows, finding and using chapstick, I realize I have stalled as much as I can in here. I need to go back out and face Edward. I take another glance in the mirror to make sure no more traitor tears have slid out of my eyes and open the door. Everyone is watching me. Everyone except Edward. He is gone.

"Where...?" I trail off, they know who I am looking for. The only person missing.

"He went back to Pennsylvania." Alice explains, obviously expecting me to go talk to him.

What should I say? 'Sorry I freaked out. I love you, too, by the way.'? or 'I understand if you want to take it back, no worries. I will just cry myself to sleep forever now.'? Yea, no.

I sigh and decide I need to talk to him. Still unsure on what I am going to say, I make my way over to his apartment. I walk in and it is silent. I walk over to his closed bedroom door and knock softly.

No response.

I start to turn around and leave, he is probably sleeping. Halfway to the door, I stop myself. We need to talk, and the longer I put this off, the more awkward it will be. I walk back to his door and knock a little louder. Still no response, so I carefully open the door.

"Guys, I do not want to talk about it." Edward says. He is facing the wall next to his bed, so he does not realize it is me.

I shut the door carefully and when he hears it he turns around, glaring at whomever he was expecting. I can see the red rimming his eyes, but there are no tears. His face softens when he realizes it is me.

"Hi." I say, kicking my feet at nothing.

"Hi."

Well, this is going well. I sigh.

"Can we talk?" I ask, looking at my feet.

He does not say anything, so I look up to see him nod a little.

We spoke at the same time.

"I am sorry I kind of freaked out."

"I am sorry if I freaked you out."

We stopped and laughed a little.

I tried again. "I am sorry I freaked out. I just was not expecting you to say that. I kind of feel stupid for admitting this, but love is a tough thing for me right now. After everything that happened with Jacob, I am not so sure I can trust it again, yet." I sighed. I had not even realized that Jacob was truly a part of my freak out until I said it. It was true, Jacob had kind of killed my faith in love.

"I understand. I am sorry about freaking you out. But, it is true. I love you, Bella. I have for so long now, and I wanted to say it, just not infront of everyone. I would never hurt you the way Jacob did, but I can understand your hesitance. I am willing to wait as long as I need to, for you. You are worth it." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

I took a seat on the bed next to him.

"I am also sorry it took so long to tell everyone. I know you wanted to long ago." I smiled at him.

"I am just happy I no longer have to hold back. I can kiss you easier, no lies attached." He laughed a little and I giggled.

"You have to admit it was a little fun, though. Sneaking around."

His arm wrapped around my waist and he pulled me down to lay next to him. We fit so perfectly together. After a few minutes of laying there silently, my stomache grumbled.

"I suppose we should go back and eat now." I laughed a little.

As we stood up, the lights flashed once, then went completely out.

"I did not touch anything!" I say, freezing exactly how I was - sort of in a crouch, half standing-half sitting.

He laughs softly next to me and takes my hand to lead me out of the room. Me being me, I run into the doorframe. We make our way back over to Virginia and walk in to see the other have lit a few candles.

"What happened to you?" Rose askes, seeing me rubbing my forehead.

"I ran into the wall." Everyone laughs at me and I pout.

Edward kisses my forehead, then my lips softly and I hear little squeals come from my two best friends.

"What are we going to do now?" I ask as Edward walks away to find his food. Mine is still sitting on the coffee table.

I sit on the couch and soon Edward is right next to me, eating happily.

"Maybe we should play a game?" Alice suggests.

"Truth or Dare?" Emmett throws out. We all shout 'No!' at him and he pouts a little.

"I know!" The pixie shouts before leaping up and out of the room.

We all watch her go, confused.

"Uh, Alice, you do know you need to tell us what the game is, right?" Jasper calls after her.

We hear her giggle in the kitchen, then she flies back into the living room. She hands a bottle of beer to each of us - how she carried all six beers without spilling any is a mystery to me. Maybe she can teach me how to carry without spilling...

"We are going to play I've Never." She says with finality. There is no discussion, we are playing it.

We all sigh and nod, accepting that we have no say in the matter.

"Everyone knows how to play, right?" She asks, looking at each of us.

"Yea, someone says something they have never done, and everyone who _has_ done that must take a drink." Edward states the overly simple rules.

Alice nods. "I will go first since I suggested the game. I've never... dyed my hair."

She smiled and we all looked around the group to see if anyone drinks. Rose, Emmett and Jasper do.

"Oh! What color?" Alice asks them all.

"Well, Alice, my lovely life-long best friend, you remember me dying my hair red. It scarred us both for life." Rose laughed.

"I dyed my hair blue once because _someone_..." He glared at Emmett. "...replaced my shampoo with hair dye."

Emmett snickered and Alice glared at him.

"I dyed my hair pink during senior week. It was awesome." We all laughed at Emmett now.

"Ok, my turn." Jasper spoke from beside Alice. "I have never... smoked a cigarette."

I sighed, taking a sip from my beer. Rose also took one.

"Ew!" Emmett practically screamed, looking at Rose with shock.

"Rebelious teenage years. Mom and Dad were not happy."

"Same for me." I nodded in shame at my rebellion.

Alice looked at me to go next.

"I've never..." I trailed off, trying to think of something interesting. "...skinny dipped."

This got everyone. I laughed. "Wow, ok, so I am suddenly feeling very reserved here."

"Rose and I went skinny dipping together!" Alice announced.

Rose laughed. "Yes, she was dared to, so I decided to join her."

"That is so hott." Emmett said, looking like he wanted to grab Rose and lock her in a room with him right now.

"What about you guys?" I asked, looking at Edward.

"Our ex's wanted to skinny dip, and they convinced us to join them." He shrugged.

"The wenches? Should have known, skanks." Rose scoffed, sipping her beer again.

"I have never wet my pants past the age of 10." Edward said suddenly, obviously trying to get the subject away from the three girls who assaulted me on my last trip to Forks.

Emmett glared as he sipped his beer.

"Wow." Alice said, looking away from Emmett with wide eyes.

"..." Rose stared at him in shock.

"Those two blocked all the bathrooms in the house after daring me to chug a gallon of water!" He defended his lack of bladder control as his brothers were laughing at him.

"Moving on." Rose said. "I've never... gotten anything below my neck pierced."

Emmett and Alice drank.

"It was my belly button, and it was cute! I miss it." She pouted.

"And you?" Rose looked at Emmett expectantly.

"Senior week. I was drunk. Got my nipple pierced. Took it out as soon as I could." He shrugged. "My turn now." He glared at his brothers. "I've never kissed a member of the same sex."

Rose, Alice and I all drank - and almost spit our beer back out when Jasper and Edward both drank, too. We stared at them, expectantly.

"We lost a big bet to Emmett and his punishment to us was to make us kiss the next two people to walk in the door of the bar we were at that night. It just so happened to be two dudes, so we did what we had to. We ran home immediately following and scrubbed our mouths and lips with everything we could find." Jasper shuddered as he told the story.

"I am never making a bet with Emmett." I said.

After laughing, Emmett looks at the three of us.

"We were at the bar, after a gig one night." Rose started.

"We were a _liiiiiiiittle_ tipsy." Alice continued.

"And a couple guys dared us to re-enact the Britney, Madonna, Christina kiss." I shrugged.

The guys were just staring at us now.

"Ok, seriously." Emmett spoke after a moment of silence. "That. Is. Hott."

The game continued from that point on, exposing little things about us all that we had never dreamed we would share. It was a very entertaining night. The power came back on a couple hours later, but we just turned off the lights and continued where we left off, not wanting to ruin the 'ambiance'.

Eventually, we all fell asleep in the living room of Virginia.

Sigh. Life is good.

**A/N: See? Happy! **

**I just wanted to remind everyone to review! Be it good, bad, neutral. I need to know if I am keeping people happy! I welcome all forms of review, so do not feel bad if what you have to say is less than stellar. I can handle it! **

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	29. Things Change

**A/N: Hey-lo! Well, here is the next chapter! Yay! I just wrote this over the past like two hours. It is a flashback chapter, showing where the girls were before moving to New York. I hope you all like it! I am sooo tired and my alarm will be going off in 5 1/2 hours for me to get ready for work. BOO!**

**Sorry I did not post as much this weekend as normal. The past week and a half have been uber painful for me, so I haven't been able to think enough to write anything. I had not planned for this to be the flashback chapter, but I realized it should be.**

**So, go, read, enjoy! REVIEW! Let me know if it was a good chapter or not!**

**~AP**

APOV

I woke up the next morning in Jasper's arms. Sighing contentedly, I snuggled closer to him. I could handle waking up like this every day. I heard his small snores, and sighed again.

I started thinking about everything that brought me to this point in my life. I had never dreamed that moving to New York would bring me to all of this. I glanced around the living room at my little family. The people in this room mean so much more to me than I ever thought possible. Aside from Rose, I had never realized I could care about someone outside of my family so much.

~*~*~

_Flashback: 3 years ago. Los Angeles._

_My twenty-third birthday. Rose was throwing me an all out party with everyone we knew. We were just pulling up at her families beach house to set everything up. _

_"Do you think Lisa and Jenn will come? I don't want any drama." I whined, climbing out of Rose's car._

_She laughed. "Of course they are coming. I invited everyone. I will keep them away from you."_

_I sighed as we walked inside. Rose had hired a party planner to get things together, so the house was already decorated. We just had to put up finishing touches and wait for a couple deliveries._

_The finishing touches, really, were just hiding the things people would break in a drunken - or otherwise intoxicated - state of mind. We also locked her bedroom, my bedroom and her parents bedroom doors. No one was getting frisky where we are sleeping tonight, and all the valuables are being stored in her parents room._

_"I hope Jimmy comes." I sighed. Jimmy and I have been kind of on and off for a while now. More on recently. Squeel!_

_"He better. Or I will kick his ass." She laughed._

_"How are things going with Devon?" _

_"I dumped him yesterday. I wanted to be single for the party." She smirked. "I will call him tomorrow and tell him I made a mistake." She shrugged like there were no flaws in her plan. And really, were there? She gets the hot boyfriend and the freedom to have fun at her best friends birthday._

_~*~_

_A couple hours later the house was packed. Rose was M.I.A. and I was in the kitchen with Jimmy. He came! Squeel!_

_"I hope your birthday is going well." He whispered in my ear._

_I was sitting on the counter with him standing next to me. This way I was almost the same height as him._

_"Would Rose let it be anything but amazing?" I asked, grinning like a drunk idiot. Which is what I was._

_"Let's go to your room." He said then kissed my neck softly._

_I nodded and hopped down, taking his hand. I lead the way back to my room. Rose's parents had this room decorated just for me, I was like another child for them. When we walked into the room, he quickly shut the door and locked it so we would have privacy. I sat on the bed, waiting for him to join me. He sat next to me and started kissing me hard. After a couple minutes he was ontop of me and we were both panting._

_"Did you bring a...?" I trailed off, he knew what I meant._

_He nodded quickly and pulled out his wallet. After a quick flip through it, he realized he did not have one. I sighed._

_"I will go find Rose. I am sure she has some." I climbed off the bed and quickly left the room, he waited for me there._

_I quickly ran to the living room. Lots of people, no Rose. Kitchen, no Rose. I went back and knocked on her door, nothing. I decided to check the backyard. As I was making my way there, I saw my friend Lynn._

_"Lynn! Have you seen Rose?" I screamed over all the noise._

_She shook her head. I leaned in closer to her._

_"Do you have a condom?" I said as quietly as I could in her ear._

_"No, but come with me. Jenn might." She grabbed my arm and we ran to the bathroom in the hallway near my room. _

_Lynn knocked on the door and when it openned, I saw Jenn, Lisa and a few other girls were in there. They let us in, and I quickly saw that I did not know most of these girls._

_"Who are all these people?" I asked Jenn. She was closest to me._

_"They showed up with Devon." She shrugged._

_One of the girls was handing something out and before I got a chance to see what it was, a couple small pills were placed in my hand._

_I watched the girls all take the pills, and figured 'what the hell'. I dropped them both into my mouth and swallowed them._

_"Hey, Jenn. Do you have any condoms?" I asked a moment later. She shook her head so I headed back out to find Rose._

_I peaked my head into my room again to let Jimmy know I had not forgotten about him, but he was not there. Must be looking for me. I shrugged and headed towards the backyard again. As I moved through the living room, I saw Jimmy. I started to make my way over to him. That is when I saw an arm wrap around his neck and then he leaned down and started kissing some girl. I made my way over to them and quickly grabbed a cup from someones hand. I was barely aware of them protesting this, but I did not care. As soon as I was behind him, I reached up and poured the drink on his head. I was happy to see it was a red drink, and it also poured onto the skank he was kissing. And she was wearing a with shirt. _

_"What the -" Jimmy jumped, then turned around. He looked shocked when he saw me standing there._

_"Alice! It's not what it looks like!" I threw the cup at him and walked away._

_Asshole._

_I finally made it out back, but still no Rose. Then I heard screamed coming from out front. I started to make my way around the house, when I got really light headed. I reached out and held myself up with the side of the house as I walked. When I reached the end, I saw Rose screaming at someone. Why was she mad?_

_"Rose?" I tried to yell, but it came out more like a squeak. I took my chances and walked away from the wall, stumbling a little._

_"What the hell is wrong with you?! Can't you see where you are going?!" Rose was screaming at the person._

_I was only about 15 feet from her now._

_"Rose!" I said as loud as I could. She heard me that time._

_"Alice?" She took a step towards me._

_Everything went black._

_~*~_

_The next day I woke up in the hospital. Rose was sleeping on the chair next to me. When she woke up, she told me that apparently those little pills were ecstacy. Which, mixed with all the alcohol I had taken, did not go well with my system. My stomache had to be pumped. Which explained how horrible I felt._

_She also told me that she had been screaming at some guy because he had driven right into her car. He beautiful car was totalled. _

_A couple days later, our parents got together and decided we needed a change. They were scared we were into drugs - which we weren't. That was the first time I ever tried anything, Rose had tried pot a couple times, but she didn't like it. It was at that point that they decided to send us to New York. The other side of the country, so people like Jenn, Jimmy and Devon would not be around us. We were pissed at first, but it was like a fresh start. So we took it._

_End Flashback._

_~*~*~_

Life is so much calmer now. And about a million times better. My 23rd birthday was not out of the norm really. Where as we did not do drugs, we did drink way too much. There were a lot of parties, a lot of nights we did not remember. A lot of embarassing stories we would hear the next day.

New York was a change of life. It had been tough at first, Rose and I stayed to ourselves. Then we met Bella, and our lives really started. Who knew one person, one innocent, caring friend could change so many things. Change the way you look at life.

*****

BPOV

I think I was the last to wake up. Just like normal. Everyone was lounging around, so I decided to take a shower. When I was standing there, my mind started to wander. I thought back on my life. What brought me to where I am now.

~*~*~

_Flashback: 5 years. Phoenix._

_I was sitting at my computer, waiting for it to boot up. I could not wait to talk to Jacob. He has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Our fathers are best friends, and we met when we were very little. I could not wait to tell him my news!_

_Finally my computer was running, and I was able to log onto my messenger. Jacob was already on, and he messaged me as soon as he could._

_Jacob: Bella!!_

_Me: Jake!!_

_Jacob: What took so long?_

_Me: Sorry, took forever to close down the store._

_I was working part time at a local coffee shop. It was a crappy job, but it was money in my pocket._

_Me: Guess what!_

_Jacob: Uh... you decided you hate the sun, and plan on moving to Forks?_

_I laughed._

_Me: Not hardly! But, close enough!_

_Jacob: Damn. _

_Jacob: Wait... 'close enough'?_

_Me: We finally planned when my next trip there will be!_

_Jacob: ..._

_Jacob: ..._

_Jacob: I am not gettin any younger here. When is it?!_

_Me: NEXT WEEK!_

_Jacob: REALLY!?!_

_Me: YEA!_

_I did my little happy dance, pretty sure he was doing his own. Every summer I visit my dad in Forks, Washington for at least a couple weeks._

_Me: Guess what else!_

_Jacob: There is more?!_

_Me: Oh, yea!_

_Me: I will be in Forks for a WHOLE MONTH!_

_We talked for a little while longer, both too excited for my upcoming trip. I could not wait for it, I would get to see my best friend again!_

_~*~_

_Time flew by, and before I knew it, I was on the plane. I pulled out my battered copy of Wuthering Heights and put in the earbuds for my Ipod. The trip seemed to take forever._

_When I finally arrived in Port Angeles, I quickly found my father, Charlie. We shared an awkward hug, and climbed into the cruiser for the ride to his house. When we got there, he helped me carry my things inside and up to my room. The same room I have always had, since I was a baby._

_My flight got in a little late, so I was not going to see Jacob tonight, but I did call him. I had to let him know I made it in safely. He always worried until he got my call._

_The next morning I was up bright and early. Charlie and his friends Harry and Billy - Billy is Jacob's father - were going fishing. I was getting a ride to the reservation Jacob and his father lived on. When we pulled up, Jacob was running out the door of their tiny house. I climbed out of the car and jumped into his waiting arms. It was like coming home. _

_After a little chit chat with Billy, he and Charlie left to pick up Harry. We just sat around, watching television for a while. One of Jacob's friends called and invited us to go down to the beach with them, and we decided to go._

_We got there, and there were a lot of kids hanging out. Some surfing, some walking along the beach. Some were just sitting around and others were running around, goofing off. We found his friends and made ourselves comfortable. We decided to walk over to the tidal pools, and on the way, Jacob found a frog. He picked it up and started chasing me around, threatening to throw it on me. Gross!_

_Me being me, of course, I tripped over a tree root and tumbled to the ground. Jacob was by my side instantly. I felt the stab of pain in my ankle and winced._

_"Bella! Are you ok?!" He yelled, looking me over._

_"I am ok. Think I twisted my ankle." I winced again, trying to move my foot._

_He helped me up, and we made our way back to his house. He climbed into his truck and he drove me to the E.R. First full day in Forks, and I am already visitting the hospital._

_"Isabella Swan." The doctor said as he walked into the little room we had been led to._

_"Dr. Cullen! Long time, no see!" I laughed. Dr. Cullen has worked here for years, he is used to my injuries._

_"You know, if you miss me so much, you can just visit. No injuries needed." He smiled at me._

_Jacob and I laughed. He checked out my ankle, and agreed that it was a bad twist. After giving me a little brace for it and wrapping it up, he let us leave. When we were leaving, I glanced back and saw Dr. Cullen talking to a boy with bronze hair. Such an odd hair color, he must dye it._

_Jacob and I left._

_~*~_

_The next couple weeks passed in a blur. Charlie and Billy had laughed at my twisted ankle, they knew how accident prone I could be. I spent every free minute with Jacob. It was a perfect vacation - minimal trips to the E.R._

_One day, Jacob and I were laying around in his living room, watching television._

_"Hey, uh, Bella." He said during a commercial break._

_"What's up, Jake?" I asked, shifting on the couch to look at him. He was laying on the floor next to me._

_"I was just, uh, wondering..." He trailed off._

_I gave him a look, telling him to continue._

_"Would you, maybe, want to go see a movie with me?" He asked after a minute._

_This confused me, why would Jake be nervous about this? We have seen countless movies together._

_"Yea, Jake, of course." I shrugged._

_"Like... like, a date." He said a minute later._

_  
Oh. A date? With Jake? That did not sound bad, a little weird maybe. Still, not bad..._

_"Sure." I said and he got a huge grin on his face. I smiled back, glad that he was so happy._

_~*~_

_Flashforward: 4 years. Forks._

_Jake and I had been dating for four years now. Granted it was mainly just during the summer, because I had just finished community college in Phoenix, and he was still going to community college near Forks. I tried to make as many trips to Forks as I could throughout the year, and he even made a couple trips to see me. Jake was about to graduate from college now, which is why I am in Forks. _

_We also decided to move in together. It had been tough to convince our fathers that it was a good idea, but we had. I was in Forks now to see him graduate and then help him pack for the move. _

_The toughest part for us to convince our fathers on, was not us getting a place together. It was that we wanted to move to New York. We wanted to be totally independant, we wanted to really start our life together. _

_We had found an apartment already, and he had a job lined up already. So, we were good to go. I was going to find a job when we got there._

_Time flew, and before I knew it, we were in New York. It was weird. Jake and I were used to spending all our time together when we visited each other, but living together was diferent. Very diferent. We were happy, yes, but it did not feel as good as I had thought it would. _

_He started his job, and I quickly found work at a coffee shop a few blocks away. I had hoped that I had left my barrista career behind when I moved, but it seemed as though it was haunting me. Jake got really into his work, and made new friends. So, I decided to put all my years of guitar and voice lessons - fine arts credits for high school and college - to use. I posted an ad on the board at work, starting a band. After a week, the only people who responded to it were kind of scary, so I thought about taking it down. _

_One day, I was getting ready to leave work, when I saw two girls looking at the board. I did not pay them much attention, they looked like stuck up rich kids. Both wearing designer clothes, with fancy hair-do's. I walked over and pulled down my ad._

_"Excuse me?" I heard one of them say._

_I turned and saw them both staring at me._

_"Yes?" I asked, it had been a long day and I was in a bad mood._

_"Is that your ad?" One of them asked. She was short, maybe 5 foot even. Her hair was pitch black, and cut into a tight bob, reaching just to her chin._

_"Yes."_

_"Were you able to find what you were looking for?" The same girl asked._

_I looked over the other one now. She was really tall, about 5 foot 9 or so, with long blonde hair that flowed down her back. She had to be a model._

_"Uh, no." I shrugged._

_"Well, were you still interested in forming the band?" The small girl asked another question._

_"Maybe. It was all just a whim I went with." I shrugged again._

_"I am Alice, by the way. This is Rosalie." She gestured to the model._

_"Bella." I smiled a little._

_"I play bass and guitar. Rose here plays drums and keyboard."_

_Huh. I had not even imagined them playing any instruments. Wouldn't that mess up their manicures?_

_"Ok, well, we would still need a couple more people. We can't all do two things at once."_

_"We have a couple friends who play music, too." Alice said quickly._

_I caved and agreed to meet their friends. I doubt this will work out though, there is no way I am going to get along with a bunch of spoiled girls._

_End Flashback._

_~*~*~_

I sighed, turning off the water. I had been very wrong about Alice and Rose. Jess and Lauren had turned out just like I expected, though. An ad on a wall had changed my life. Brought two of the best friends I had ever had into my life, and eventually brought the Cullen's to us.

A little piece of paper had led me to my new little family.

**A/N: Yay! The girls are very happy with the direction life has taken them! I only wrote in Bella and Alice POV because Alice and Rose's lives were basically just one. They did everything together, and they viewed everything the same way. I know they seem a little shallow in the flashback and Bella is a little judgemental with them at first, but that is how it was. They _were _shallow before, and Bella _did_ judge them before she knew them. It just shows how much they grew since then, how they changed. Bella is more open minded and Alice and Rose think before they act. **

**Next chapter is the guys' flashbacks. **

**Ok, go review please! I am going to go pass out. hehe. NIGHT!**


	30. A Very Cullen Flashback

**A/N: Hey guys! Finally got the guys' chapter done! Yay! Ok, it is only Edward and Emmett because Edward's was a little long. :) I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Go, read, enjoy! REVIEW!!!**

EdPOV

Today I watched. Just watched.

I watched my friends and brothers.

Everyone seemed a little out of it. Like they were all off in their own little worlds. It was not a bad thing, though. They all seemed content. I wonder what they are all thinking about...

~*~*~

_Flashback: 2 years. Forks._

_Today is my first date with Tanya. I am still amazed that she agreed to go out with me. She is really pretty and everyone likes her. Emmett started dating her sister Kate recently. That is how we really met. Their friend Irena seems to like Jasper, too. How perfect would that be if we all ended up together?_

_I had to make sure everything was perfect tonight for her. I wore a nice black suit, white button up shirt, no tie. Ties are not cool, they are for old people. I slicked my hair back, so it would not be the untamable mess it usually is._

_I even used some of Emmetts cologne._

_I am borrowing my dads car, mine is not nearly nice enough for this. I need a new one. Maybe a Volvo..._

_I called and made sure my reservations at that fancy italien restaurant were good. Next, I needed to run out and buy her some flowers. Roses. A dozen is too many... maybe six. Holy shit! Roses are expensive! ...Maybe four... _

_No, six. Sigh._

_It was time to go pick her up. When I pulled up to her place, my hands got all sweaty. I hope she likes roses._

_I walked up and knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked again. I heard movement inside, so I waited patiently. Finally, the door openned. _

_  
Tanya was standing there in a robe._

_"Edward?" She looked confused._

_"Hey, Tanya." I held out the roses for her. "These are for you."_

_She smiled and took them._

_"Thanks. Uh, did you need something?" Her head tilted to the side a little._

_Now I am confused._

_"We, uh, had a date tonight?" It came out like a question._

_She gasped._

_"Oh God! I am so sorry! I totally forgot! I would have called, my sister is sick. I am staying with her tonight." She shrugged._

_"Oh. Ok, then. Well, another time." I ran a hand through my hair._

_"Sorry, again." She smiled apologetically._

_I just nodded and walked away. Well, this sucks._

_I drove home as fast as I could, ready to be back in comfortable clothes. When I walked in the door, Emmett was getting ready to leave._

_"I thought you had a date tonight." He said when I walked past him._

_"Her sister is sick. She is staying with her." I sighed._

_He looked confused._

_"The date was with Tanya, right?"_

_"Yes. Why?" I paused at the bottom of the steps._

_"I have a date with her sister tonight."_

_"Maybe there is a third sister?" I asked, hopeful that I did not just get lied to._

_"No... I am pretty sure there is just two of them... let me call Kate really quick..." He ran off to find his cell phone._

_I decided to go change while I waited. After changing into khaki shorts and a black t-shirt I wandered back downstairs. I walked into the living room right as Emmett was hanging up his phone. I looked at him questioningly._

_"She cancelled our plans." He sighed. I could not help but be a little relieved._

_"Want to go see Jasper at work?" I suggested, since neither of us had plans now._

_Emmett nodded and we left. We took his old jeep, I hated it. It was like 10 years old and he drove like a maniac. I am waiting for the day it just dies and we are stranded on the side of the rode. Jasper works at a popular restaurant in Port Angeles, so the ride to get there took about a half hour. Normal people get there in about an hour, I jumped from the jeep as soon as it stopped._

_"You are psychotic!" I screamed at him. He just laughed._

_While we were walking to the front of the place, I saw a car that looked familiar, but I could not place where I knew it from. It was a friday night, so the place was packed. We just made our ways over to the bar and Emmett easily pushed a couple guys out of the way to give us standing room. Jasper is a bartender, so we always go right there. _

_"Jasper!" Emmett yelled down the bar to our brother. His head whipped up from the shots he was pouring and he nodded to us. After a few minutes of just looking around at who all was here, two beers were set infront of us. I smiled at my brother._

_"Aren't you two supposed to be on dates tonight?" He smirked at us. We both scowled._

_"Kate is sick, so Tanya is staying home with her." Emmett explained after a swallow of beer._

_"She looks fine to me." Jasper pointed his head off to the left._

_Emmett and I both craned our necks to see over everyone in the bar. Jasper was right. Kate, Tanya and Irena were sitting at a table laughing at something. I turned back and stared at my beer. So... I _was_ lied to. Great._

_"Hey, Jazz, send them a round of drinks on me. Put this note with them." Emmett said after a second. He grabbed a small napkin sitting nearby and a pen from Jasper's shirt pocket. He scribbled something really quick, then handed them both back to our brother._

_"Em... you are aware that you have not even bought your own drinks since I started working here... right?" Jasper asked._

_"Sure I do." With that, Emmett slammed a five dollar bill on the bar. I laughed, while Jasper picked up the five and put it in his pocket._

_"Don't forget my change!" Emmett bellowed as Jasper walked away._

_We watched as Jasper personally delivered the drinks. Kate read the note and when she looked up at Jasper again, he pointed over to Emmett and I. Emmett lifted his beer in a 'cheers' gesture while I just nodded._

_After a while, I felt someone walk up behind us._

_"Emmett?" Kate yelled over the music and talking._

_"I don't want to talk about it right now, Kate." Emmett said, turning his head to the side so she could hear him. He did not actually look at her though. I did. And when I did, I saw her roll her eyes at him before turning and walking away._

_"What do we do now?" I asked, being the naive baby brother._

_Emmett just shrugged. "We have a good time tonight. Tomorrow they will crawl back to us, begging for forgiveness."_

_Jasper rolled his eyes and walked over to some paying customers. I suppose tonight should be a foreshadowing of the relationship I will have with Tanya. But we all make mistake._

_~*~_

_fast forward a little over a year._

_Tanya and I have been dating on and off for the past year. I work too much, she parties too much. It is a big mess. I wonder why I even try most of the time. I decided tonight I needed to end things officially with her. It is way too hard to keep her happy, and I do not enjoy trying anymore. It used to be nice, doing romantic things for her to show how much I care. I just came to realize that she does not care about us. I plan out romantic dates, do everything I can to make her happy. She cancels dates to go to parties, and forgot my birthday._

_I am not saying I expect her to buy me things or anything. But simply saying 'Happy Birthday Edward' would have been nice._

_I pulled up to the apartment building she and her sister live in. Sigh. Tonight is going to be a long night._

_I knocked on the door and waited. It finally openned and Kate let me in._

_"Hey, Edward. She is in the shower. I can tell her you stopped by, you know how she likes long showers." She smiled at me._

_"I will wait." I took a seat on their couch. Kate just walked away. I heard her stick her head in the bathroom and say something, though, so I guess she did tell Tanya I was waiting._

_I leaned back, resting my head against the wall while I waited. 20 minutes later, Tanya walked into the living room in sweats._

_"Hey, baby." She smiled and sat next to me on the couch._

_"We need to talk." I told her, moving so the kiss she aimed to plant on my lips hit my cheek._

_"What is it?" She frowned at me._

_"Tanya, I am breaking up with you." I had put a lot of thought into this. It seemed like being blunt was the easiest way._

_"What?!" She leaned away from me._

_"We are different people, Tanya. Different priorities, different interests. Our lives are going in different directions." I looked her right in the eye and saw the confusion she felt._

_"I thought we were happy." She said after a minute._

_"Right now, yes. But, tomorrow you could be screaming at me that I work too much. That I am too serious and need to relax. I don't think you get me at all most of the time."_

_"You _are_ a bit too serious, Edward. And all you do is work." She proved my point that she would be complaining about it all soon._

_"Tanya, I want to go places in life. Not stay still, in one place, doing the same things over and over. I don't like parties, I don't like acting crazy. You do. I don't feel comfortable around 50 strangers, yet you always try to pull me to parties at Irena's place." I tried to explain our differences._

_"Just loosen up, Eddie. Take some risks. I am sure you will like it once you do it." She really is clueless._

_"I don't want to. I like me as I am, and I am not going to change. I am tired of trying to make this work, when you don't put in half the effort I do."_

_She did not say anything this time, just glared at the floor._

_"Good bye, Tanya." I sighed and stood up._

_"One day, you are going to realize how stupid you are being right now. You will realize and you will come crawling back to me. Just wait, you will see. I might not be around when you do, though." She huffed at me._

_"I don't think that that is true." I walked out the door without looking back._

_7 months later, I moved to New York with my brothers. Single and happy with where life was pulling me. A little wary of what might happen, but life was pulling me somewhere new, with more opportunities. Better opportunities._

_End Flashback_

_~*~*~_

Had I known that New York would bring me a new family, a new place that I really belonged in, I would have moved sooner. I am the one who held off my brother's moving here. My doubts and fears, but they pulled me with them. I smile at Bella. My brothers saved me from ever possibly crawling back to Tanya.

*****

EmPOV

What is with these people today? It is saturday, people! SATURDAY! This is not a day meant for deep thoughts and sighing. This is a day meant for fun! PJ Party Friday's are for deep thoughts and sighing! I scoffed as I headed off to work. This is what sucks about taking off on fridays - you work saturdays. Gr.

Luckily, the gym pretty much works itself. Just the random phone call to disturb you. I slipped into my own thoughts as I stood at the counter, pretending to read some paperwork.

~*~*~

_Flashback: 1 year. Forks._

_Kate and I had been dating for about a year and a half now. I love her. I really do. She just drives me nuts sometimes!_

_Today, for example. I planned out a nice, romantic dinner for us. I planned out the sex after dinner, too. But no, as soon as she finished eating, she fell asleep!_

_My brother's keep telling me to dump her - not just because she falls asleep before the sex - but I can't bring myself to do it. She has cheated on me repeatedly, but she always apologizes when I find out. Well, when I find out and tell her I know. She had even tried to hit on both of my brothers._

_But I can't do it. I can't break up with her. As long as I still have feelins for her, I have to try to make this work! It is not fair to either of us if I just give up._

_Sigh._

_At least I know that I am not the only one in a failing relationship. Edward is getting ready to end things for good with Tanya, and Jasper only went out with Irena, like, twice. I don't blame him, she is clingy as hell! I swear she already has a wedding planned and childrens names picked out._

_I just wish that Kate would try. Just put a little effort into this._

_~*~_

_Flashforward 4 months. _

_Jasper and I have decided we need a change of scenery. We want to experience life outside of our small town. We have decided on New York. Now, we just have to convince Eddie-boy to come with us. The move is planned for 2 months from today._

_Tonight, I am telling Kate about everything. I hope she doesn't hit me._

_I knocked on her front door and waited for an answer. The door openned and it was Irena._

_"Emmett." She didn't even smile at me. How rude._

_"Irena. Is Kate here?" I asked, looking past her and into the living room._

_"This _is_ her apartment." She said as if I was an idiot._

_"Can I come in?" _

_She moved out of my way. I sighed, walking past her._

_"Hey baby." Kate greeted me as I took a seat on the couch next to her. They were watching some reality t.v. show._

_"Hey." I gave her a quick kiss. "Can we talk?"_

_"Sure. What's up?" She did not even look away from the television._

_"In private." I looked at Irena._

_The two of them exchanged a look._

_"Ok. Let's go for a walk." She stood up, grabbing a coat before we stepped outside. We walked off to the side of the building, into the trees that surrounded everything here._

_"What did you want to talk about?" She asked after a couple minutes of silent walking._

_"I don't really know how to say this without you freaking out." I sighed._

_"Are you breaking up with me?" She looked at me as if I had three heads._

_"No! No, no I am not breaking up with you." I responded quickly._

_"Then spit it out Emmett." She stopped walking, crossing her arms over her chest._

_"Ok, well, look. Jasper and I have been talking - " I started but was cut off._

_"Why hasn't he called Irena in a while? She is worried about him."_

_"Uh, I... don't... know? That is not the point. I am trying to tell you something, Kate." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I need a haircut. _

_Kate stared at me, waiting._

_"Jasper and I have been talking, and we decided we need a change. We are moving." I just said it. There is no easy way to tell you girlfriend you are moving away._

_"Oh. Is that all? I think there are a couple opennings in our building." She started thinking._

_She did not get it. "No. Kate. We are leaving Forks." _

_"So, what? You are moving to Port Angeles? Seatle? That's not a big deal. A little longer drive, but better places to go out." She was thinking again._

_"We are moving a little further than Seatle."_

_She glared at me now._

_"Where?"_

_"Uh... New York."_

_I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the screaming. It was silent. Uh oh. I peaked one eye open, and Kate was gone._

_"Kate?" I called, looking around for her. I saw her walking back the way we had come. "Kate! Wait up!"_

_"No!" She screamed back at me._

_"Come on, Kate! You can't just walk away from me!" Whoops. Wrong thing to say._

_She spun back to face me._

_"_I_ cannot _walk_ away from _you_, but _you_ can _move_ across the country from _me_?!?!?" She screeched._

_"Well, we just feel like we need to live a little before we die in some tiny town that no ones ever heard of." I tried to defend myself._

_"Well, maybe you would feel like you were 'living a little' here in Forks if you went out with me every now and then!"_

_"That is different. I don't want to go to huge parties with people I grew up with." I sighed._

_"So, you would rather, what? Go to night clubs with strangers? With slutty little bitches? Do you want to get herpies, or, or crabs, or, or, AIDS Emmett? You want those dirty girls?" She yelled at me._

_"No! Why would I _want_ AIDS?"_

_"That is not the point, Emmett!"_

_She continued to yell at me for about an hour before storming back to her apartment. _

_Well, that went well. Sigh._

_2 Months later, I moved to New York with my brothers. Kate and I agreed to try the long distance thing. Hopefully, we can make it work._

_End Flashback._

_~*~*~_

I came out of my memories when the phone rang. Sigh. I am still at work.

That night, when I got home, I found everyone sitting in the living room of Virginia. I walked in and flopped onto the couch, ontop of Rose.

"Ugh! Emmett! Get off of me!" She wheezed out as everyone laughed at us.

I rolled off of her, then kissed her softly.

"I missed you today." I smiled at her.

"I missed you, too." She smiled at me and I kissed her again.

After a couple minutes, I looked down at the t-shirt she was wearing.

"Uh, Rose..." I trailed off, confused about her shirt.

"Yes?"

"Are you trying to tell me something?" I pointed at the shirt.

She looked down and laughed.

"It is a restaraunt in Virginia Beach. Alice and I went there a couple years ago."

"Oh... Ok."

Her shirt had a guy that looked like a redneck in overalls, and said 'I got my crabs from dirty dicks' in an arch above him.


	31. ManWhore

**A/N: Hey guys! Another chapter! Finally! I know I usually get a chapter or two out in a weekend and I did not last weekend - SORRY! I am trying to keep it up! Really, I am! I only got 2 reviews on the last chapter, which kinda sucked. It really helps me with my writing when people review! Thank you to those who read it and a big THANK YOU! to eclipse-me and TheDevimangel for reviewing for last chapter!**

**I will have another chapter out on sunday, specifically for Mother's Day. It is a special Mother's Day chapter. So, that means Esme and Renee will be in it with Alice and Rose's moms!! Yay!! I have been waiting for this chapter for a while now, hehe. It will be a bit of a serious one, though. But I am going to have a fun one after it, promise!**

**Ok, go, read, enjoy! REVIEW!**

BPOV

This week seems to have flown by. I swear just yesterday everyone found out about Edward and I, and now it is Saturday. Tonight is the party at Edward's work. The girls and I went shopping the other day and I found the perfect dress for tonight. Edward said that it was fancy but not strictly black and white, so we found a midnight blue dress. I love it! It is made of a thin, silky fabric and it flows to the floor. The waist of the dress is tight, showing my curves, before flowing downward. Above the waist, it comes up in two sections of fabric to cover the ladies, like a halter top. The pieces of fabric then pull over my shoulders and behind my neck to tie in the back. The back is bare from where it ties down to my waist. Throughout the dress, there is a silver pattern. It is a very delicate pattern that does not stand out too much, but it is enough to make the dress special.

I paired it with strappy silver heels, and dangling silver earings. The earings also have midnight blue stones at the bottom, they hang almost down to my shoulders. I decided to skip on the matching necklace, but I did grab the mitching silver bangle bracelets. Instead of taking my bulky purse with me, I also got a clutch that is silver with a similar midnight blue pattern.

Alice and Rose took a long time doing my hair and make-up. The make-up looked pretty simple - the eye shadow was blue and silver, and some lip gloss. The eye shadow was cool. The blue was the same shade as the dress and there was not a lot of it, just enough to show color, then blend into the silver. My hair was what took the longest. The had gone through and curled every inch of my hair, then they had pinned almost all of it up. It looked really good, like they had sat down and planned out where every curl should sit. Some were pinned tightly to my head, some bounced down a bit. It was a pile of curls, all perfect ringletts. They let some hang free, again, they seemed to be strategically placed. One fell down along the right side of my face, while another was hanging freely right infront of my left ear. Some hung freely from the mass of curls that were pinned up. I almost felt like they were going to add a tiara to my head before they were done.

It is now seven forty five. Edward is 'picking me up' at 8. The party starts at eight, but Edward said it would not matter if we were a little late, no one would notice he was not there yet.

"Calm down, Bella." Rose said, sitting on the chair. Alice was sitting on the couch and I was pacing.

"Yea, sit down. Relax." Alice agreed with her.

Maybe I _should_ sit down. I am wasting valuable stability in these shoes by pacing in the living room. It is inevitable that I will fall down in these, why waste valuable walking time now?

I sat next to Alice on the couch. I glanced at the clock again. Seven forty seven. Thirteen minutes until I see Edward again. Thirteen minutes.

Seven forty eight. Twelve minutes.

Seven forty nine. Eleven minutes.

Seven fifty. Ten minutes.

"Oh. My. God. Stop staring at the clock!" Rose yelled at me. I gave her a small smile.

"You saw him earlier and it is not like he is going to forget how to get here." Alice laughed at me.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I freaked out a little and looked at the clock again. Only seven fifty two. He is early. Before any of us could get up to answer the door, we hear a loud snort and it opened itself.

"What is up, ladies?" Emmett walked into the room, kissing Rose before sitting in the chair with her.

Jasper walks in next and he sits between Alice and I.

"Lookin' good Bella-baby." Emmett says, looking me up and down when I jump up to see if Edward is with them.

"Thanks." I blush - and that is why I did not let them put any blush on me. I don't need to look like a clown.

"Hey, you." I jump when I hear Edward behind me. I spin around to face him.

"Hey." I say breathlessly. He looks amazing. He has on a dark blue suit, matching dark blue undershirt, and a silver tie. Yay Alice for helping him pick out his suit! We match!

"Ready to go?" He askes, holding out his arm for me to take. I nod, latching onto him.

"Don't be out too late, kids!" Emmett yelled as we walked out the door.

"You look... stunning, Bella." Edward says while we wait for the elevator.

I blush again. "Thanks. You look amazing."

"No one will be looking at me tonight. They will be wondering who you are and how much I had to pay you to pretend to be my girlfriend." He smiles and I giggle.

"I don't look like a complete fool, do I?" I ask warily.

"Hardly." He scoffs. "I love this shade of blue on you." His finger trails down my neck and along the fabric. I have to force myself not to moan, his finger is leaving a trail of fire along its path.

We walk outside and he quickly hails a cab for us. Climbing in, he gives the driver the address and I sit back for the short ride. I laugh a little when I realize I have no clue what he does for a living.

"Do I get to hear the joke?" He smiles at me.

"I am a horrible girlfriend." I laugh again as he raises an eyebrow at me. "Ok, so, I kind of have no clue what your job is." I smile at him innocently.

He chuckles. "I am a salesman. The company I work for is called Accutech, we sell computer products. My job is to convince businesses to buy from us."

"Are you any good at it?" I question him, honestly curious.

"I really hope so. Otherwise, I will get fired soon." He gives me his lopsided grin.

"Is there anyone I should try to avoid tonight?"

"Uh... try to avoid Felix. He is my boss, I will introduce you as soon as we get there. He is... how should I say this?" He was silent for a moment while he thought. "He hits on every female he sees, and you look too good tonight for him to not hit on you."

"So, basically, he is a man-whore?" He laughed with me after I say this.

"Uh, yes. I suppose calling him a 'man-whore' would be an apt description."

I can't help but laugh really hard when Edward says man-whore. It sounds so wrong coming from him. He is too proper to say things like that.

"What is so funny?"

"Say 'man-whore' again!"

"Why?"

"Just do it! Please?" I pout at him.

He sighs. "Man-whore."

Even the taxi driver chortles at it this time, which of course makes me laugh harder.

"Oh. Oh, Edward. That is one of the best things I have ever heard." I sigh, catching my breath as we pull up to the hotel the party is being held at.

Edward helps me out of the cab, then turns to pay the driver. I take a few steps forwards, looking at all the beautiful people arriving.

"Shall we?" Edward extends his arm to me again.

I nod, taking his arm and he leads me inside.

I gasp as we walk into the room the party is in. It can only be described as a ballroom. There are tables all crowded on one side of the room, all draped in expensive looking white cloth. Each table also has a large vase overflowing with colorful flowers - I recognize some as lilies, roses, and freesia. The chairs surrounding each table were each also covered in the heavy white fabric. There were men and women in uniforms walking through the crowd of people carrying trays. The trays seemed to all hold either champagne flutes or mini appetizers. Some trays also seemed to just be carrying empty glasses, obviously taken from the attendees who had finished off their drinks. Off to the side there was a small bar with two people swiftly making and handing out various drinks also.

The other half of the party seemed to be a dance floor. There was a band sitting to the side playing soft classical pieces and there were a few people dancing along. There was a large chandellier over that space. There was also a microphone off to the side, so I assumed there would be a speach of some sort later.

Edward carefully helped me walk down the few steps to join in the party. He quickly guided me through the masses of people until we reached a gentleman who had his back to us. Edward cleared his throat softly, but the man seemed to hear it and turned to greet us.

"Edward! Glad you could make it! And who is this stunning woman?" The man glanced at Edward, but his eyes quickly shifted to me.

"Felix, this is my girlfriend. Bella Swan, this is my boss, Felix Jones." I smiled and when he held out his hand, I reached to shake it. As soon as my hand touched his, he quickly moved it up and lightly kissed it.

*****

EdPOV

I led Bella into the ballroom and heard her gasp as she took everything in. It really was a nice party. I noticed Felix talking to some of our big wigs and made a bee-line to him. I wanted to get this over with.

We walked up behind him and I cleared my throat to get his attention. When he turned, his face lit up.

"Edward! Glad you could make it! And who is this stunning woman?" He barely looked at me before zeroing in on Bella, like I knew he would.

"Felix, this in my girlfriend. Bella Swan, this is my boss, Felix Jones." My Bella smiled at him politely and when he extended his hand to shake, she reached out as well. I glared slightly when he pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jones." Bella said, carefully pulling her hand away from him. I could tell she wanted to wipe her hand off, but knew it would be rude.

"The pleasure is... all mine." He spoke slowly, looking her up and down. "And please, call me Felix."

I had to stop the growl that tried to force its way out of me. Did I not say that she was my girlfriend?

"I will be saving a dance for you later, Bella." He winked at her. He patted my shoulder as he walked away to talk to someone new.

I noticed Bella shudder slightly once he was gone.

"Sorry about that." I smiled apologetically at her.

"Not your fault. You warned me." She shuddered again for emphasis.

"Yes, yes I did. He is a total man-whore." She giggled at my use of that word again.

When one of the waitors walked by us, I quickly grabbed two champagne flutes from his tray and handed one to her.

"Now, let us try to enjoy the evening." I held up my class and she carefully tapped hers against it.

I led her around the party, introducing her to my co-workers. An hour and a half later, we sat at one of the tables.

"I am proud of myself." She smiled at me.

"Me too. Now, why are we proud of you?" I smirked at her.

"I have not tripped at all yet in these death traps." I glanced down as she pulled her dress up to show me the shoes she was wearing.

"I really am proud of you, now." I gave her a small round of applause. She pretended to curtsy, still seated.

The evening moved swiftly, and soon, Felix made his way up to the microphone that was sitting next to the band. They stopped playing and everyone quickly took their seats.

"Hello, everyone!" He started. "I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. I hope you all are enjoying this little shin-dig. As you all know, we throw this party every year to help raise money for..." I tuned him out at that point. Not really caring what this party was for. Some organization that we worked with. He droned on for several minutes about them. "I also want to take the time to welcome one of our newest salespeople. He just moved to New York from way out west, and he has become an integral part of our region. In the past four months alone, this man has sold more products than the rest of our salesteam. Combined. Mr. Edward Cullen, please stand up. Everyone give this man a round of applause." Wait, what? I was able to pull myself out of my shock and I stood up. People clapped and I felt the heat fill my cheeks. This was a surprise. I looked down and Bella was clapping wildly. I sat down after a quick wave to the room. "We just pulled the numbers today, and I am glad Edward chose to work for us instead of anyone else. Now, let's get back to having fun!" Felix ended his speach and the room filled with voices again.

Several people came over to our table with comments about what Felix said and I thanked them all. After a few minutes, they finally stopped.

"Is there anything you can't do perfectly?" Bella asked me after the last person left.

"A lot of things." I responded seriously.

"Name five." She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at me.

"Well, let's see. I cannot... sew. Or play the trumpet." She laughed at me. "I can't karate chop ten boards in half, or leap tall buildings in a single bound. I can't even leap small buildings, for that matter. I also cannot play beer pong." I smiled, proud of my list.

"Ok, seriously?"

"What? I honestly cannot do any of those things!" I defended my list.

"Who can't play beerpong? Didn't you go to college?" I nodded. "I thought it was a requirement that all college students be able to play that."

I laughed. "I tried a few times. Never got the hang of it."

"I will have to teach you. And, by the way, the leaping over buildings one does not count."

We spent the next several minutes debating my list. At about the time I saw Felix making his way over to us, I pulled her onto the dancefloor with me.

We were swaying to the music in silence at first.

"Do me a favor?" She said suddenly, biting her lip.

"Anything." I smiled down at her.

The grin that broke on her face was breathtaking.

"Say 'man-whore'." She giggled.

I rolled my eyes.

"Man-whore."

She laughed very loudly.

"What is so funny about me saying 'man-whore'?" I asked, laughing a little at her.

After taking a minute to regain her composure, she smiled at me.

"It is just amusing. You always speak so proper, it almost seems wrong for a word like that to come from you."

I rolled my eyes at her again and spun her in a circle. When we were simply swaying again, I leaned down a little and spoke softly.

"Man-whore."

**A/N: Hehe. Ok, seriously, how many of you agree that Edward saying 'man-whore' is funny? Am I right, or what? Hehe. Ok, that was the party! Hope you liked it! Review, please! I am begging for reviews now! They make me all warm and squishy inside! And I need warm and squishy right now! I found out today that I did not get a job I really wanted. :( **

**Oh, well! Time for bed, then tomorrow I am writing the Mother's Day chapter! Yay! G'night!**


	32. Mother's Day

**A/N: Hey All! Here is the Mother's Day chapter! Yay! It is the longest chapter yet! I am more than a little surprised. I had not meant for it to be so long, but I had a lot to get in. It is like 75 percent in BPOV. And most of it centers around Rose and Alice. It is a kind of serious chapter, with a few chortles mixed in where I could, so I hope you all enjoy!**

**A BIG Thank You to everyone who reviewed last chapter!! It made me happy! Reading reviews gets me through my days! :)**

**Now, go, read, enjoy! REVIEW!! pls! :)**

**~AP**

APOV

We tried to wait up for Bella to get home last night. We really did! We wanted to know how the party went. I think Rose passed out around midnight and I was not far behind her.

When I woke up in the morning, I had a stiff neck. I quickly realized that it was because I had slept on the chair in our living room all night. At least Rose got to stretch out of the couch. Lucky. I stood up and stretched, pulling out all the kinks in my back. I made my way to the bathroom, stopping only to peak in Bella's room and ascertain that she made it home last night - she did and was now snoring softly in her bed. After a long shower to relax my muscles, I wrapped myself in a towel and headed to my room.

When I was dressed and ready to face the world, I walked back to the living room. I could hear Rose in the shower, so I decided to go make us some oatmeal for breakfast.

As I was waiting for the oatmeal to cook, I decided that tonight Jasper and I would go out to dinner. We had had our first official date a couple weeks ago, which made him extremely happy. Don't get me wrong! I am happy about it, too. I just don't need any fancy dates, he already has my heart.

I ran over to the chair I had slept in last night and found my phone - I had plugged it in out here incase Bella had called us last night. Hm. One missed call. From mom. What is she calling for?

I sent off a quick text to Jasper, requesting a dinner date, then I pulled up my voicemail.

_"Alice! Darling! It's your mother! I am just calling to remind you that next weekend is Mother's Day. I believe we had agreed some time ago that this year Liz and I will be joining you two out on the east coast. I will e-mail you our flight schedule. I can't wait to see you, dear! Ciao!"_

Shit. I forgot Mother's Day was coming up. What am I getting my mother?!

~*~*~

Of course, none of us had remembered Mother's Day. Rose and I just had to endure it, our mother's were coming to New York. Bella was flying out to Phoenix and the boys were headed back to Forks.

"I don't want everyone to leave!" Rose and I were pouting.

"We are only leaving for the weekend. It is not like we are going to be gone forever." Emmett tried to sooth her.

"I agree with her. I mean, why do you all have to go?" I wailed.

"Uh, it's Mother's Day. We have to go see our mothers?" Bella said, or rather the way she said it was like a question.

"So? Why can't your mother's come here, too?" Rose spoke, and everyone froze.

ROSE IS A GENIUS!

"Yes! Tell your mother's to come here for the weekend! Then we get to spend it together!" I started bouncing.

"We can try..." Jasper trailed off.

In the end, Bella and the boys were able to change the plans. It was set to be Mother's Day in New York!

~*~*~

It was now friday afternoon. Renee was able to get a flight in this morning and Bella should be returning from the airport with her soon. I kind of feel bad for Bella. She had realized yesterday that neither of her parents knew that she and Edward were together. Hell, they did not even really know that she and Jacob had broken up! It was still a sore sudject and she was more worried about Billy the last time she had seen her dad, so she had not told him. So, she was planning to tell her mom on the cab ride.

I heard Bella in the hallway and started bouncing. I cannot wait to meet Renee! I have talked to her on the phone a couple times, now, but meeting her in person is exciting! It seemed like everyone held their breath in the living room. Jasper and I were in the chair, Rose and Emmett on the couch and Edward was seated on the floor facing us all.

"And, this is the apartment." Bella said as she walked in the door. "I will show you the guy's apartment later. I am sure everyone is waiting for meet you." I could hear the smile in her voice.

They walked down the hall and Jasper held me in place. I wanted to jump up and greet them.

"Well, mom, this is everyone. That's Rose and Emmett." They waved their hello's. "Jasper and -" I was able to pull myself free when Jasper waved, as well. I jumped up and ran over to hug Renee tightly. "And the thing attached to you, now, is Alice." Bella and her mother both laughed at me.

"Momma!" I yelped.

"Hello Alice." She hugged me back.

"And this, this is Edward." I pulled back and let go of Renee, letting her meet Edward, who was standing behind me now.

"Hello, Mrs.-" He started, but was interrupted.

"Ah! Do not call me Mrs. anything. Call me Renee. It is a pleasure to meet you, Edward." She smiled at him warmly and you could see the nerves he felt just melt away and he smiled as well.

"I am happy to finally meet you, Renee. Bella talks about you all the time."

"See mom! I told you he was a complete gentleman." Bella smiled, wrapping her arms around Edward's waist.

"That you did. Now, where am I dropping my things?" Renee looked around, as if we would have her sleep in the couch.

"You are taking my room. Over here." Bella led her mother to her room to drop her things off.

Before long, Jasper left to pick up their mother. This sent butterflies through my stomache. Will she like me? I hope so!

Time seemed to slow down as we waited for them to come back. Bella and her mother were in the kitchen, making snacks for us. Well, Bella was making snacks, her mother was just catching up with her. We could hear them talking about the party from last night, so Rose and I made our way to join them. We still had not gotten a full description of it.

"It was gorgeous! Oh, Alice! Show my mom the picture you took of my dress!" Bella said excitedly when we walked in.

I pulled my camera from the pocket of my sweatpants and pulled up the pictures.

"Oh, Bella! You look so beautiful!" Renee gushed. "Where did you get your hair done?"

Rose and I grinned.

"That would be these two." Bella pointed at us. "They did my hair and make-up."

"Oh, wow. Girls, you did fantastic! I was never able to get her hair to hold a curl, as much as I tried, they always fell out." She smiled at us.

Suddenly, the front door openned and we looked over to see Jasper lead someone inside. She was beautiful with long golden brown hair. There was a hint of the bronze color that Edward had, too.

"Mom!" Emmett bellowed, running up to scoop his mother into a bear hug.

She laughed at him. "It is good to see you, too, Emmett. Where is my baby?"

"Mom! Don't call me your baby!" Edward whined - yes, whined. He moved to hug her after Emmett set her back on her feet.

"Where are the girls?" She asked next.

"Right over here!" Emmett pulled her into the kitchen.

"Bella!" The woman's eyes lit up as she saw Bella first.

"Esme! It is great to see you again. I am _so_ glad you could make it!" Bella walked forward to hug her.

"Esme, this is Rose and Alice. And this is my mother, Renee. Mom, as I am sure you have figured out, this is Edward, Jasper and Emmett's mother, Esme." She introduced Esme to us.

We all grabbed the popcorn that Bella had made, and moved back out to the living room. Esme sat on the couch with Rose and Emmett, Jasper and I took our places in the chair, and Edward, Bella and Renee all sat on the floor. It was really cute watching Bella. One of her hands was tightly held by Edward, while she leaned away from him and onto her mother's shoulder. This was the happiest I had seen her in a long time.

Before I knew it, the alarm on my cell phone went off. Rose and I both sighed, standing up.

"Whats going on?" Bella asked, watching us move towards our rooms.

"It is time for us to get ready to pick up our mothers from the airport." Rose sighed.

"Get ready?" Bella gave us the confused puppy look - her head tilted to the side a little.

"You will understand when you meet our mother's." I grimaced a little.

Sighing again, Rose and I went to make ourselves presentable.

*****

BPOV

I watched as my best friends walked out of their rooms, looking way too nice to simply be driving to the airport to pick someone up. They said a quick goodbye, well more of a see-you-in-a-bit really - and were out the door.

"So, Momma, do you have any embarassing stories about Bella?" Emmett gave Renee a huge grin while I groaned. They all took to calling my mother Momma. It seemed weird to them to call her Renee, and Bella's mom was a mouthful. I didn't mind, we're all family, right?

"Of course I do!" Renee smiled at him, making me groan louder.

"Spill!" Emmett demanded.

"Seriously, Em, you are spending too much time with Rose." I laughed at him.

"Let's see... I could tell you about her ballet recital when she was 5." Renee mused.

"No!" I yelped.

"Bella? Doing ballet? Oh, this I _gotta_ hear!" Emmett rubbed his hands together, waiting for a great story.

Renee laughed. "They were doing A Midsummer Nights Dream. Bella here, was a faerie. She was so nervous before it started, but seemed confident enough once she was on stage. She did wonderfully for most of the show, I was so proud of her. Then, when she was almost done the last number she was set to be in, it happened." Renee smiled at me.

"What? What? What happened?" Emmett was really excited.

"She lost her balance. Instead of just catching herself and stepping out of line a little, she tried to keep going with the dance. It ended up with her flailing as she fell to the side, hitting another little girl in the face. That girl then fell into someone else, starting a chain reaction. Soon, everyone was on the floor, and along the way, several props were knocked down. A couple cardboard trees were ontop of kids, cardboard bushes and stones had holes in them. The whole stage was a mess. To top it all off, Bella stood up, in the middle of the chaos. She looked around at everything, then looked out to the crowd as the curtains were being pulled shut. Just before the mess was blocked by the red curtains, Bella gives a huge grin and bows. I have it all on video back home." Everyone was howling with laughter. Everyone but me. I was pouting.

"Oh... Oh my... Oh my _god_! You have to let us see that sometime!" Emmett spoke through his laughter.

"Boys, it is not nice to laugh!" Esme chided through her own laughter. Once everyone had calmed down some, Esme spoke again. "I think it is only fair now that Bella gets to hear something embarassing about you, Emmett." She smiled.

"Yes!" I smiled at Emmett, who looked scared now.

"Emmett has always been a stocky boy. Not heavy really, just... stocky. I am sure you understand, I mean, can you picture him as a skinny little kid?" Esme smiled. I looked at Emmett and nodded my head in agreement. I could never picture a small Emmett. "Well, he was always a fan of football. When he was finally old enough, we signed him up for the local team. He was so excited. It was all he could talk about for weeks. He lived for it. Finally, the first game of the season came." I could hear Jasper and Edward snickering now. "The first play of the game, the ball was to be thrown to Emmett. He is out there, totally consumed by the game. The guarterback throws the ball perfectly, Emmett catches it and holds on tight, running for the endzone. Running with everything in him. He gets to the endzone and is so excited, so proud of himself. He turns back and watches as all the other kids stop running. Everyone is staring at him. In his excitement, he had..." Esme trailed off, as if she was unsure how to continue. Emmett was bright red, now, and his brothers were just full out laughing.

"What?" I was leaning towards Esme, waiting for her to finish.

"He had wet himself. Right in the endzone. When he realized what had happened, he ran off the field and hid in the lockerroom for the rest of the game."

I was rolling. Nothing had prepared me for this. Emmett. Peed. His. Pants.

"Hey Emmett?" I asked when my laughter had died down a little.

"What?" He snapped at me.

"How many stories are there of you peeing your pants?" This sent everyone into more fits of laughter.

"Oh, dear, there are lots of good stories I could tell. I will save them for when Rose and Alice are around. I am sure they would love to hear them, too." Esme smiled at me.

~*~*~

It took a while, but we finally heard voices in the hallway.

"I am sorry that staying here is such a hassle, mother. I thought you would want to see where your daughter is living." That was Rose. She did not sound happy.

"Rosalie, darling, it is not that I don't want to see where you live. I just thought you would show me the place, then take me to a nice hotel to relax. It _is_ Mother's Day weekend. Don't I deserve to be pampered?" That was a voice I did not know. We all waited for the front door to open.

"Liz. We are here with our daughters, let us just enjoy the time we have." Said another foreign voice.

"'Enjoy the time we have.'? You make it sound like someone is going to die soon." There was Alice. Sounding oddly calm.

"Don't be silly, darling. No one is going to die." There was a fake laugh, then the voice continued. "You just never know what will happen. Who knows when we will see you two again. Now that you live halfway round the world."

I heard Rose sigh and a set of keys in the door.

"You _do_ remember that you wanted us to move, right? You wanted us away from 'band influences.' Now we are." We heard Rose more clearly as the door opened.

We heard the footsteps as four people walked down the hallway and into the living room.

"Oh." One of the women gasped. "There are people here."

I heard Emmett chuckle.

"Yes, mother. I told you there were." Rose sighed.

"Mother, Mrs. Hale. This is Jasper, Esme, Emmett, Edward, Bella and Renee. Esme is the guys' mother and Renee is Bella's mother. Everyone, this is my mother, Helen Brandon, and Rose's mother, Elizabeth Hale." Alice introduced us.

"It's really nice to meet you bo-" I was cut off.

"Yes, yes. Nice to meet you as well. Rosalie, where am I sleeping? Are the sheets clean?" Rose's mother looked around the room, like she was expecting a bed to just appear.

"You are sleeping in my room, mother. I changed the sheets this morning, myself." Rose sighed, walking towards her room.

"Yourself? You don't have a maid?" Her mother followed behind her, leaving her bags in the living room.

Esme nudged Emmett and he stood up, taking her hint. He grabbed Mrs. Hale's bags and followed behind them.

"You will be sleeping in my room, mom." Alice lead her mother away, Jasper helping with those bags.

"Wow." Renee spoke softly once they were behind closed doors.

"Yea." Edward and I said at the same time.

"Well, kids, I am going to hit the sack." Renee said, standing up.

Esme quickly agreed with her. Edward and I both stood up, him to walk his mother back over to their apartment, and me to grab my sleeping bag. The girl's and I were planning to 'camp out' in our living room. I gave Edward a quick kiss goodnight as he and Esme left.

I pulled the three sleeping bags out of my room and set them up before my friends came out of the other rooms. Emmett and Jasper were the first ones out.

"Where's mom?" Emmett looked around the room quickly.

"She was tired. Edward went with her back over to ya'll's apartment." I sighed, settling myself on a sleeping bag.

They each leaned back into the rooms they had just come out of to say goodnight to Rose and Alice, then left as well. After a few minutes Alice came out of her room, shutting the door softly behind her.

"Thanks." She smiled at me before going into the bathroom to change into her pajama's. I was already in mine, having changed while they were off picking up their mother's. Rose came out before too long and changed into hers, as well.

"I miss the guys already." I sighed as we all settled into our sleeping bags.

"Me, too." Alice whined behind me.

"Amen to that." Rose leaned to look back at me over her shoulder.

"Hey, guys?" I said after a couple minutes of silence.

I got two grunts in response.

"Your mom's kind of scare me."

~*~*~

I was the first one to wake up in the morning. I woke up with Alice cuddled against my back and Rose's arm across my face and leg ontop of mine. Where Alice curled up in her sleep, Rose sprawled out. I was able to carefully pull myself away from them without waking them up. After taking my time to brush my teeth and freshen up a little, I went to the kitchen. We had stocked up on breakfast foods for this weekend, so I pulled out a bunch of eggs, sausage and bacon. I feel like I am feeding an army! I quickly start making everything, including toast. Before long, I felt two small arms around my waist.

"Morning Alice." I chortled.

"I love you, Bella." She murmured into my back. Rose joined us a minute later and they hung out in the kitchen as I cooked. Before long, I sent them off to wake up the guys and Esme, while I ran to wake up my mother. Renee and I were in the kitchen again by the time the six of them walked in the front door. Rose and Alice went and woke up their mother's while I finished pulling the sausage and bacon off the stove.

"Morning." Edward said, his arms resting in the same place Alice's had earlier.

"Hi." I smiled as I turned around in his arms to face him.

He leaned down and kissed me softly. We all let our mother's take the dining room table to eat at, and we settled into our normal positions around the coffee table in the living room. Alice and Rose's mother's only took a little bit of the eggs and the fruit salad I had been told to buy. Apparently they are on some sort of diet. I don't know. Renee and Esme were more than happy to dig into the greasey foods.

"So, what is the plan today?" I asked my friends.

"I think our mother's all want to go sight seeing." Alice said.

So we decided to split up after breakfast. All of us with our mother's. One thing we had planned for Mother's Day weekend was to go to a show tonight. So we had most of the day to wander the city, the show we chose - Streetcar Named Desire - did not start until 8 o'clock tonight. We were going to dinner before the show, so we had to be back at the apartments by 4 o'clock to get ready.

It did not take long before Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Brandon to be ready to head out, so we said our farewells to Alice and Rose. I felt bad for them. Their mother's were obsessed with 'looking decent' as they called it. Which meant, basically, they had to dress like they had money. I am so used to my best friends dressing and being so casual, it is weird to see them dressed so nicely. Lucky for the guys and I, our mother's were happy in jeans and t-shirts.

~*~*~

The day flew by. Renee and I walked through Central Park, checked out Wall Street and Times Square. We saw the Statue Of Liberty and Ground Zero. It was fun! There were so many things I normally just walk past, not paying any attention to. Like Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum! That place is AWESOME!

By the time Renee and I got back to the apartment, Rose and Alice were already back and making themselves presentable for dinner. We took quick showers and the girls pulled me into Alice's room for Bella Barbie time. Since the restaraunt we are going to is not too fancy, they let me dress more casually. I pulled on a navy blue tubetop dress, it feel to just above my knees. They also handed me a cropped, white cardigan. I slipped on a pair of white flip flops and took my seat, waiting for them to do my hair and make-up. Since it was not fancy, they just pulled half of my hair up and used a clip to hold it in place, and put minimal make-up on me. Just some eye-liner, a touch of blue eye-shadow and lip gloss. I was happy with the look. Very natural. It suited me.

Alice and Rose themselves, though, had to be dolled up. I stayed with them as they changed. Alice put on a nice yellow dress, and gelled her hair down into the bob I remember her having when we first met. Rose work a red and black colored pant suit, and made sure there was not so much as a hair out of place.

We met up with everyone else around five forty five. Our reservations at the restaraunt were for 6, so we left. It was a short walk away, but not short enough. It seemed like Rose and Alice's mothers always found something to complain about. I think at one point I even heard Rose's mother tell Rose that she could stand to lose a couple pounds.

I wanted to scream at her mother. Rose had barely spoken since her mother arrived, she just walked around, staring at her feet. This was not the Rose I knew and loved. The fact that her mother made her this way upset me greatly. I could see it was upsetting everyone else, too. Everyone except Alice. Alice was the same way. The only difference was, Alice's mother was not as vocal. Mrs. Brandon was not as blunt about her dislike of things, she just made subtle jabs.

Dinner flew by - Mrs. Hale only sent her food back twice - and the show was very nice. It was a fun evening. As we walked back to the apartments, the guys were having fun reenacting some of the scenes. All of a sudden, Emmett dropped to his knees in the middle of the sidewalk and screamed out.

"Stellaaaaaaaa!"

We all stared in shock for a moment. Then we promptly turned and walked away from him. It did not take long before he realized we were gone. He jumped up and ran after us. When he caught up, we all burst into laughter. Well, everyone except Rose and Alice's mothers, of course. They seemed to be mortified by what Emmett did.

It did not take long after that to get back to the apartments. Everyone settled into Virginia, taking our normal spots, except this time, Renee sat on the couch with Esme. Rose was seated on the couch with them, and Emmett was on the floor infront of her. Once their mother's went to bed, Alice and Rose became more animated. More like themselves.

We sat up for a couple hours, talking about random things. Esme told us some more funny stories about the guys. Renee told more funny stories about me. A good time was had by all. At some point in the night, we feared we were being too loud for the two sleeping mother's, so we moved over to Pennsylvania. Rose, Alice and I all fell asleep on the floor there, completely content.

~*~*~

I woke up the next morning when something large landed ontop of me. Something large and loud.

"WAKE UP!!!!" The deep bellow came from right next to my head.

"Emmett Cullen! Get off of those poor girls!" I heard Esme yell at the large thing ontop of me, and it slowly listened.

Once we could breathe again, the girls and I pulled ourselves off the floor. We all made our ways back over to Virginia, and I quickly set to making breakfast. Renee helped me this morning. She made the pancakes, while I took care of everything else. I tried to tell her that breakfast was supposed to be made _for_ her not _by_ her on Mother's Day, but she wouldn't listen. By the time we finished everything, everyone was awake and lounging around Virginia.

We took the same spots that we had yesterday, mother's at the dining room table, kids at the coffee table. We were all still in our pajama's, except for the Treacherous Two. I had started calling them that in my mind last night. They were just plain mean. They were, of course, dressed to impress. Who they were trying to impress is beyond me, but whatever floats their boats.

"Rosalie, shouldn't you get dressed?" Her mother asked.

"We weren't planning on going out today, and if we do, then I will get dressed." She shrugged.

"But you have company."

My jaw clenched.

"But they are all in their pajama's as well."

"Not all of them." She smiled innocently at her daughter. "Don't you want to look nice for your boyfriends mother?"

"Who is also still in her pajama's." I saw Rose's nose flare.

"I thought I raised you better than to be a slob."

Rose silently stood up and started walking towards her bedroom.

"Ali, dear, shouldn't you be making yourself presentable, as well? I don't see how you can stand you hair being so messy. I would feel like a fool if mine we in such a disarray." Alice's mother smiled at her.

I watched Alice get up and walk to her bedroom as well. The Treacherous Two returned to sipping their coffee. I was about to stand up and say something to them, but Edward held me in place. No one said a word until Alice and Rose walked back into the living room, both dressed to their mother's desire's.

"Kids? Why don't you all head down to the store and pick up something we can have for lunch." Esme suggested suddenly.

"Yes! Something sweet, too. I have a terrible sweet tooth sometimes." Renee added, laughing with Esme. We all shrugged and headed out the door. I was the last one out, and I heard Esme speak as I was shutting the door.

"Ladies, I think we need to talk." Was all I heard before the door was shut behind me.

~*~*~

When we got back from the store we found Renee and Esme sitting in the living room watching television. The girls helped me put everything away before joining them.

"Where are our mothers?" Alice asked, after checking for them in the bedrooms.

"They went shopping." Esme smiled at her.

You could see the relief on them, realizing they were free from their mother's for a while.

"We are sorry about them." Rose said after a minute of silence. "They can be a bit much, sometimes."

"No worries, dear." Esme responded instantly.

"They are a _bit_ overbearing, but they have raised two beautiful girls." Renee smiled at them then.

I snorted.

"Uh, mom, I think they are more than a 'bit' overbearing."

"Bella." Renee tried to stop me, but I had a lot to say.

"No, mom. Those two are rude. Alice and Rose are two of the best people I have ever met. Two of the smartest, kindest, most amazing people I know. And the Treacherous Two act like they are nothing. It shocks me to see that they were raised by such mean spirited people. Those two have beat down my two best friends so much, so fast that I don't even recognize them." I turned to look at Rose and Alice. "Since they arrived, you two have been so different. I hate it! I hate seeing you both so sad, so trampled on. I can't stand seeing you two like this! It hurts me to see this. I wish I could make them look at you, really look at you, and see what I see. See the beauty of Alice's messy hair, how much of a free-spirit she is. Be amazed by Rose's intelligence. She is not just a beautiful face. See the girls who have stood by me through tough times, see the girls who inspire me to be a better person! I have changed so much because of you two. You make me a better person, and if they would take two seconds to get to know their daughters, maybe it would make them better people, too."

When I stopped speaking the room was silent. Seven people stared at me, not seeming sure of what to say. Alice was the first to break the silence.

"The 'Treacherous Two'?" She smirked.

I laughed a little. "That's what I have been refering to them as in my head." I shrugged.

"I'd say that is an apt description." Rose snorted.

The conversation flowed into lighter topics after that, and eventually the Treacherous Two returned. They were flying out this afternoon, so we all gave our mother's the gifts we had gotten them. Rose got her mother a silk scarf, Alice got her's diamond earings. I gave Renee a painting I had found by a local artist, and the guys got Esme a crystal punch bowl. Rose, Alice and I had to hold in our laughter when Esme opened her gift. I mean, a punch bowl? Really?

Alice and Rose drove their mother's to the airport shortly after that, and when they returned, we were all sitting around watching a movie. They joined us, and it was a pleasant afternoon. Renee and Esme's flights were later that night, so we eventually had to say our goodbyes to them, as well. I was sad to see them leave, but it was time for life to return to normal. Back to the crazy times with my little family.

Sigh. Life is good.

**A/N: Next chapter should be up either tomorrow, or within the next couple days. It will be a lot more fun times, so be on the lookout!**

**Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there! **


	33. Noogies!

**A/N: Hello, lovelies!! Sorry this took a bit longer to get out than I had planned! But, gah! It took me forever to write it! I wanted something light and fluffy to follow the seriousness in the Mother's Day chapter, and I couldn't get this right! I started righting the RPOV and then erased it all and started over. Then, I wanted the EmPOV to be longer, but could only think of so much to do. Next, it was going to be an APOV, but that wasn't working, so I went with a BPOV and had to redo all my APOV stuff! Gah! It is a shorter chapter, and really is just group fluff. Simple stuff, to counteract the anger towards Rose and Alice's mothers.**

**The MD chapter took a lot out of me and I think I got like 3 reviews. :( I hope you all like this chapter and review! Or, even if you don't like it, REVIEW! PLS?! *gets on knees and begs, giving pouty face***

RPOV

Right now, I am sitting on the couch in Pennsylvania, with Pixie sleeping calmly on my lap. I sighed, thinking back on this past weekend. I spent most of it wishing Alice had forgotten that my mother is allergic to dogs. I know, that is horrible to think, but my mother is intollerable sometimes. Pixie spent the weekend at Bella's friend Angela's place.

So, now, we were all in Pennsylvania. Alice and I were watching Bella and the guys play a game. Why are we just watching? Because this game is only for four people at a time. And today is the first time Alice or I had even known the guys had bought this game. What game is it, one might ask? RockBand. Now, normally, I wouldn't care. And, I would even find it adorable that Emmett is playing the drums - like me - and Jasper is on bass - like Alice - and Edward is on guitar - you guessed it, like Bella. What bothers me, is Bella is singing. I don't mind Bella singing, in general. I mind it now, though, because Bella is _ours!_ They stole our singer!

I am currently glaring at them all as they play one of my favorite songs - One Way Or Another by Blondie - and Alice is trying to act angry like me. She is failing at acting mad, though, because she keeps bouncing. She stops whenever she catches herself but thats usually mid-bounce, then she smiles at me apologetically.

"Oh, go steal the bass from your boyfriend already!" I huff at her.

She lets out a squeal as she bounces over to Jasper.

"Aw, c'mon, Rosie. You aren't really mad at us, are you?" Emmett pouted at me after the song was over.

"I am not mad, really. I am hurt. And... betrayed." I am not really upset anymore... I want to play the drums.

"Betrayed? Who betrayed you?" Bella asks me.

"YOU! You knew they had this game, and didn't tell me! _Then, you sing in their band?!_ Why don't you just rip my heart out?!" I sigh overly dramatic.

I can hear Bella and Alice trying to stiffle laughter, they know I am just joking around. Edward and Jasper are smiling, they get that I am joking, too. Emmett, though, looks really worried. He honestly thinks I am being serious.

"Well, Bella doesn't have to sing with us. We don't need a singer, right guys?" He is trying to find a way to make me happy, how sweet.

"Em, I was just kidding! I don't care if Bella sings for you guys." I smile, walking over to him. Pixie is awake now and she goes right to Bella's side. I swear, that dog does not leave Bella. She really is the dog whisperer, isn't she?

"Alright, boys, move aside and let the girls show you how this is done." Alice carefully pulls the bass over Jaspers head - with his help, obviously, since she can't reach that high.

"Do you guys need a guitar player? Since I assume Bella will be singing for you, as well." Edward asks, not taking his guitar off.

"Hand it over, big boy." Bella holds her hand out for it.

"So, are you not singing?" He raises an eyebrow at her.

"I can do both, duh! I do it every thursday." She rolls her eyes at him.

"How do you plan to do that? You have to hold the microphone, too."

"Uh..."

"WAIT!" Alice yells, then runs down the hall. She comes back with an old mic stand that we didn't need at the bar anymore. She quickly takes the mic from Bella and sets it up in front of her. "Tada!!"

Edward sighs and hands the guitar over to Bella.

"Ok, what shall we do, ladies?" I asked, watching Bella move through the song choices.

She chose a song and we waited for it to start. I chuckled at the characters on stage - we did not make our own yet. Well, Alice and I didn't. Bella's character was singing, but it still had Edward as guitarist. They really did look like themselves, though, which was a little weird.

Bella had chosen We Got The Beat for us to play. We all started out on Medium difficulty for our instruments. As the song went on, I was getting honestly bored with this. I totally need to jump up to at least Hard next time. Alice and Bella also look a bit bored.

"Seriously, I could do this in my sleep." Alice fake yawned. Bella and I laughed in response.

"No knocking our game!" Emmett yelled from his seat on the couch.

Edward was still pouting when we finished the song, so Bella laughed at him and offered him the guitar again. I thought he was going to do a happy dance, he looked to excited. He even stuck his tongue out at his brothers as they scowled at him being able to play again.

After a few songs, I handed the drums back off to my boyfriend. He also seemed to be on the verge of a happy dance. I laughed as Jasper tried to guilt Alice into giving up the bass, he was _so_ not winning that battle. Eventually, he sat back on the couch with me, sulking.

"Just think about how happy she looks playing." He looked over at her and smiled a little. "And remember, we can always distract her later with something shiny and you can grab it back." He laughed with me.

"Shut it, bitch." Alice fake glared at me.

"Love ya!" I smiled at her.

"Ya know, that saying 'who needs enemies with friends like mine' comes to mind..." Bella laughed at us.

I laughed, sitting back to watch my friends. Jasper moved closer to Alice, still trying to coax the bass from her. I smiled. I really do have some of the best people in my life now. How did I ever survive without them. Emmett turned to look at me and smiled.

*****

EmPOV

I looked over at Rose and she was smiling at the group. I smiled back. I really do have the best friends and brothers ever. I mean, seriously, how many people can honestly say that they have five people in their lives who accept all of their little quirks. Ok, so, my quirks might not be so little, but it makes me more lovable!

I played a couple more songs and then let Jasper try his hand at the drums. Everyone yelled a little when they had to go back a few screens to change it to his character. Which, of course, meant Alice had to make her own - she had been playing as Jazz. I took a seat next to Rose and gave her a quick kiss.

"Hey." I said softly.

"Hey." She smiled at me.

She cuddled up next to me and we had fun laughing and singing along with our family. Time flew by. We were all having so much fun that we just ordered in a few pizzas and kept going. When our arms and voices got too tired - we were taking turns playing the diferent instruments and singing - we just sat around talking. I am constantly amazed that we seem to never run out of things to say to each other. There are constant conversations. The girls making plans for things, my brothers and I talking. Us talking to ur significant others, and every possible grouping. We didn't stop talking until we were too tired to keep our eyes, let alone our mouths open.

The girls eventually said goodnight and took Pixie back over to their place. My brothers and I sat around the living room in silence for a few minutes.

"I am going to bed. Night." Jazz finally said, standing to go to his room.

"Yea... you two are not nearly as much fun to hang out with as the girls." Edward agreed, standing up as well.

"That hurts, little bro." I stood up, too. Once Edward was in reaching distance of me, I swooped in a caught his head in one arm. I swiftly started rubbing the nuckles of my other hand on his head, yelling 'noogie!'.

Jazz just shook his head, laughed and ducked into his room before I could catch him, too. I let him go, and Edward ran to the safety of his room. I laughed and made my way to bed as well.

*****  
BPOV

"That was fun." Alice smiled as we walked back to Virginia.

"Yea, next time the guys get an awesome game, no holding out." Rose glared at me.

We laughed as we walked into our apartment. By the time my head hit the pillow, I was out.

~*~

I woke up early enough the next morning to say goodbye to Alice as she left for work. Rose was still in the shower, so I made her some oatmeal really quick. We said goodmorning as we switched places - me taking a shower, her eating the oatmeal. By the time I was out, she was gone. I smiled, I get the whole day to myself. Everyone has to work today, except me. I threw my hair into a messy bun and pulled on my clothes for the day. It was nice not having Alice around when I got dressed, I was able to throw on an old, torn up pair of jean shorts and a white long sleeve shirt under a blue tee-shirt. I looked like someone who had no fashion sense - which is what I am.

I woke Pixie up - she sleeps on a big pillow/doggie bed in my room - and put her leash on. Time to go for a walk!

Edward and I were texting already. The walk did not take long, about a half hour to walk a few blocks around. I had several little baggies in my back pocket for her droppings. It was gross, but I didn't have any of the boys with me, so I had to do it myself.

When we got back to the apartment, I set out her food. She chomped happily as I sat myself on the couch with my laptop. By the time I was done a couple games of solitaire, Pixie was curled up next to me. I wish I were a dog. I could sleep all the time and no one would think it was weird. I idly pet her while watching some television. Suddenly, she jumped a little and started barking. She leapt off the couch and ran to the door, still barking. I heard a knock.

Laughing, I went to the door and picked her up.

"Shh..." I shushed her as I pulled the door open. I smiled at the guy standing there. He looked to be about my age, almost 6 feet tall, black hair that fell into his eyes. He was cute.

"Does a..." He looked at a clipboard in his hand. "Rosalie Hale live here?"

"Yes, she does. But she is not home right now."

"Ok, well, you can just sign for this." She smiled, holding out the clipboard.

I looked around a little, not sure if it was safe to set down Pixie or if she would make a run for it.

"Sure, uh, here, come inside. Let me put her in my room." I openned the door a little wider for him. He smiled and stepped inside.

I ran and set Pixie down in my room, then came back out.

"Sorry about that!" I smiled apologetically at him.

"It's no problem. I have one, too. She flips out whenever anyone comes over." I laughed with him.

"So, where did I need to sign?" I reached for the clipboard.

He handed it to me, pointing at where a signature was needed. After I signed, he stepped outside again and carried in a big box.

"Where would you like it?" He asked.

"Uh, what is it?" I looked around, wondering if he should leave it in the livingroom, or put it in Rose's room.

"That I do not know." He laughed a little.

"Just put it over here." I pointed off to the side in the living room. He carried it over and set it down.

"I see you like Dawson's Creek." He nodded towards the television.

I blushed a little. "Yea, I am kind of hooked on angsty, teenage drama's." I laughed a little.

"Don't tell anyone, but, I was hooked on that show when it was still airing." He leaned in close to me while he spoke.

I laughed a little and stepped away and towards the couch.

"Well, I guess that's it." He said after and minute and I followed him to the door.

"Hey..." He trailed off as he stepped outside.

I waited for him to go on.

"Can I, maybe, get your number?" He looked at me hopefully.

"I have a boyfriend, sorry." Psh, he doesn't compare to Edward at all.

"Oh, well, here's my card. If you ever decide to dump the loser, give me a call." He handed me a business card. I put it in my back pocket without even looking at it.

"Thanks. Bye." I gave him a little wave before shutting the door in his face.

I snorted to myself as I walked over to let Pixie out. She ran right to the door, looking for the intruder, as I sat on the couch. I grabbed my phone and started to text Edward. I miss him.

**A/N: *snorts at delivery guy hitting on Bella***

**I wonder what Rose's delivery is... hmm... any ideas? :-D**

**~AP**


	34. She Bought What!

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter!! This one is one of the shortest I have written. Don't hurt me! It is leading into a much longer one, so look forward to that! :) I am hoping to have the next chapter up within the next couple days, and I am working on it right now! So, keep reviewing! It makes me write faster!! :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! It made me warm and squishy inside! **

**And Olie! Why were you not on FB for me to ask you a question! I couldn't find my copy of New Moon, and needed to remember something! Luckily, I found my book, so I got it under control. :)**

**Ok, go, read, enjoy! REVIEW! pls? *puppy dog eyes***

EPOV

_You will never guess what just happened._

Was the text I suddenly got from my Bella. I smiled and sent back a quick text asking what and got back to what I was doing before my phone beeped. A moment later it beeped again.

_Some guy was delivering a package for Rose, and he hit on me. How random is that?_

I had to take a second to breathe and clear my head. 'Some guy' was hitting on Bella? My Bella? Something that sounded oddly like a growl came from somewhere deep inside of me. I quickly dialed a number and held my phone to my ear.

"Hey!" The soft voice answered quickly.

"Someone hit on you?!" I tried to control my voice as best I could.

She seemed to not hear the anger, she laughed.

"Yea! He was delivering this huge box for Rose, and when he was leaving he asked for my number." She was amused by this. "I told him I had a boyfriend, but he just pulled out a card and told me that when I wanted to 'dump the loser' I should call him." She scoffed.

"Really, now?" I suppose, if she is just amused by this, I shouldn't let it anger me.

"Totally crazy! I mean, why would some random guy hit on me?" She laughed again. I heard a bark in the background, and she added. "Pixie says hi."

"Well, I are you going to dump the loser and call him?" I asked, half teasing.

"Yup. I mean, who can compare to..." I heard her moving around. "Aro... what kind of name is that?" She snorted.

"Very funny." I relaxed a little.

We talked for a few more minutes, then I had to get back to work. One day Bella might start to see herself clearly and actually leave me. Sigh.

The rest of my day seemed to fly by, and I was happy when it was time to leave work. I quickly said goodbye to my boss and left. The sooner I got home, the sooner I got to see my Bella. I waited, less than patiently, for the elevator to move. I swear, this thing gets slower and slower every day.

I made a quick stop in Pennsylvania to change, then moved on to Virginia. As soon as the door was open, Pixie was standing there waiting for me. I smiled as I bent down to pet her. She followed me inside and to the couch where Bella was sitting.

"Oh, ok. Thats why you left me. For a boy! Pixie, it is supposed to be us girls sticking together, can't let a boy pull us apart!" I sat next to Bella as she spoke to the dog.

Pixie just jumped up onto the couch and laid down between us.

"Hey." I smiled, leaning towards her to get a kiss.

She met me halfway.

"How was work?" She asked after we leaned back.

We talked until Pixie jumped up and ran to the door. Emmett came into the living room with her trailing behind him. When he sat in the big chair next to us, Pixie jumped up onto his lap and got comfortable.

"Ok, seriously, what is with the dog." Bella laughed.

Emmett and I looked at her, confused.

"When Aro showed up, she jumped up, barking, and ran to the door before he knocked. Then, when both of you got here, she ran to the door, without barking. I think she senses evil." She explained. I smiled at the stupid delivery boy being refered to as evil.

After a while, Rose came in. Pixie did the same run to the door before it opened as she had done for Emmett and I, which made us laugh. Suddenly, Rose screamed, and came running into the living room. She collapsed infront of the large box that was occupying the corner.

"They are here!!!" She screamed.

We all watched, in shock.

*****  
RPOV

I walked in the front door after work, and Pixie was waiting for me. How cute! I bent down to pet her, and when I looked towards the living room, I saw it. I had ordered these two weeks ago and was getting annoyed that they had not arrived yet. I screamed and ran into the living room, ignoring the others who were sitting there. When I screamed, Pixie had jumped and ran off to hide somewhere.

"They are here!!!" I yelled, hugging the box.

I started tearing at the box, trying to open it. It was not working. I got frantic, pulling everywhere I could, on the verge of using my teeth on this very dirty, disgusting box. I _needed_ to see them! Suddenly, I large set of hands started to push me away from the box. Pure reflex made me latch onto the box, like they were trying to take it from me. I turned to glare at the person who belonged to the hands, and saw Emmett standing over me. He looked like he was trying to hold back laughter, so I glared at him. That stopped his laughter!

"Rose, would you like some help?" He asked.

Oh, he wants to help me open the box. Aw, I have the best boyfriend ever and I just glared at him! I had to force myself to move back from the box so that he could open it for me. As soon as he had the top flaps open, I dove in. I searched through all the packing peanuts, some of them flew out of the box and onto the floor. Soon, I found the next box. I pulled it out and sat cross-legged on the floor with it on my lap. I stared at it for a moment longer.

I tried to calm my breathing and stop my hands from shaking before I opened the box. I was vaguely aware of the front door opening and two sets of footsteps moving down the hall.

"What the...?" I heard Alice's voice.

I looked toward it.

"Alice." My voice was shakey.

"Rose? What is going on?" She walked towards me.

"They are here." I watched as recognition lit her eyes.

"The G433C's?!" She squeaked.

I could only nod now, as I looked back at the box on my lap. The beautiful, long box sitting on my lap.

"Let me see them!" She half-screamed, kneeling down next to me.

Jasper moved to join everyone else who was watching us. I slowly openned the box and pulled back the tissue paper. Sitting in this beautful box, were the most gorgeous boots I had ever seen. I lifted one out and Alice petted it softly.

"All this screaming was about boots?" Bella asked, incredulously.

"These are not just any boots!" I yelled at her, hugging my boots.

"These are Pura Lopez G433C boots." Alice explained.

At everyone's lost looks, I sighed.

"These boots are walking sex. They could make even what you are wearing look sexy." I pointed to Bella's outfit. I thought we threw out those shorts... whatever. I have sex boots.

"These boots cost $700 alone. With tax and shipping and handling, its very close to $1,000." Alice kept explaining and I cringed at what was coming next.

"YOU SPENT A THOUSAND DOLLARS ON BOOTS!?" Was shouted from the four people watching us.

"But, they are pretty boots." I pouted at them.

*****

BPOV

I cannot believe that Rose spent a thousand dollars on a pair of boots. Sigh. I shudder to think about how much her whole wardrobe probably costs. Edward and I were sitting in the living room of Virginia, watching a movie. I am not sure where everyone else is, but I know Emmett snuck out of here a while ago with the box full of packing peanuts. I do not want to know what he is doing with them.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open and Jasper walked into the living room.

"Where is he?" He asked angrily.

"Where is who?" Edward asked.

"Who do you think?" Wuh-oh.

"What did he do?" I asked this question.

"He filled all the drawers of my dresser with packing peanuts. I have no clue where my clothes are now." He stomped over to Rose's door and knocked. There was no answer.

Jasper then stomped out of the apartment. Edward and I looked at each other and started laughing. After a minute, he stopped suddenly.

"What?" I was confused by his sudden look of worry.

"That was a big box..." He trailed off.

I motioned for him to continue.

"Jasper does not have a big dresser..."

I had to hold back more laughter as I caught up with his thoughts. In a flash, Edward was up and running for the door. I quickly followed behind him. We didn't stop until we had reached his bedroom. He slowly walked over to his dresser and pulled open one of the drawers.

"Damnit!" He yelled.

I burst into laughter again. Emmett strikes again.

~*~

Emmett had at least been smart enough to stay away from his brother's after he filled their dressers with packing peanuts, but he forgot one thing. The Cullen's apparently don't take practical jokes lightly. It was now war, and Alice and I were helping Edward and Jasper. Rose was off somewhere with Emmett, so I am guessing she is in on it.

Alice was texting with Rose, trying to make it seem like everything was normal, while we planned. The boys were off now, gathering supplies for their retaliation. This was going to be fun.

When they returned, we got to work. Rose told Alice that she and Emmett would be back tomorrow morning, so this gave us time to get everything set up. I almost feel bad for Emmett... almost. This is going to be an amazing practical joke. If we can pull it off.

**A/N: A little cliffy. Hehe. I wonder what they are going to do to poor Emmett. It is big, too. And how will Emmett take the prank? Will he get his own revenge, or will they call it a truce? We shall see!!**

**REVIEW!**

**~AP**


	35. It's War

**A/N: Yay! Two chapters in one day! Three in one weekend! W00T! Hehe, Ok, well, I wrote this one quite fast, and it is not as long as I had thought it would be. But, due to the speed, there are probably a bunch of errors. Sorry! I am going to go back through it all at some point and fix all the errors, but for now, I am just working on getting chapters out! :)**

**Ok, so, go read! And don't kill me!**

**~AP *bites fingernails nervously***

JPOV

I cannot believe Emmett put those packing peanuts in mine and Edwards dressers. That was just... just... so not cool. But, it is ok. Edward and I are getting revenger and we have our ladies to help with it. After running out to get the supplies we would need, we headed back to Virginia to get the girls. We had to act fast.

We were smart enough, at least, to buy quick-drying paint. Plus, Emmett is one of those people that is never cold, so he has this huge industrial size fan, so that takes care of one possible problem. We quickly set to work. All four of us had paintbrushes in hand, and we covered everything in his room with drop clothes so that we wouldn't mess up anything important. We wanted to piss him off, not make him kill us.

Since there were four people working on one bedroom, we had all the walls painted quite fast. We had set up the fan on full power about half-way through, so now we just had to wait for it all to dry. We sat in the livingroom and talked a little while we waited.

"So, like, he Emmett going to kill us?" Bella asked, chewing on a cookie.

Edward and I looked at each other.

"Uh... nah not kill us. Maybe hurt Jazz and I a little." He said after a moment. The girls giggled.

"Rose is going to die. It will be great." Alice chirped.

"Show us what else you guys bought for us to work with."

We pulled out the rest of our purchases. This was going to be great. It did not take long for the paint to dry, so we quickly sent Bella to work on drawing the designs on the walls. She likes to draw, so it was an added bonus for our plans. We were able to take it a step further than we had originally planned to. She used a marker to draw out the designs and then Edward and I followed behind her with the smaller tins of paint, making her design come alive. Alice followed behind us with the final touch.

By the time we finished, it was almost 3 in the morning. We cleaned everything up and made our ways back over to Virgnia. We were _not_ sleeping in Pennsylvania tonight. Not knowing when exactly Emmett and Rose would be home meant that it was not safe. Edward and Bella locked themselves in her room, while Alice and I boarded up her room.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

~*~

I awoke the next morning to a scream.

"MARY ALICE BRANDON! ISABELLA MARIE SWAN! GET YOUR ASSES OUT HERE! NOW!" Alice and I jumped when we heard the loud bang on her door.

"DON'T THINK I DON'T KNOW YOUR HERE, TOO, BOYS! YOU ARE DEAD!" Emmett's booming voice sent a shudder down my spine. Alice and I tentatively made our ways out to the living room.

We saw Edward and Bella also peaking out of her room. Emmett threw open our door, causing Alice to shriek, and glared at us. I heard Bella's shriek as Rose obviously yanked open her door, too. Pixie came running out of their room and right up to Emmett. He ignored her plea's for attention.

"Seriously, guys? A few packing peanuts in your dresser's does not call for this!" Rose chided us.

"A few? Where are our clothes, Emmett?" Edward glared at him.

"Oh, you will get your clothes back. Just wait." He stomped out of the room, Rose shook her head at us and followed.

I gulped and looked at Edward.

"Shit." Was all he said in response.

Bella and Alice went into hysterics, laughing so hard that they each held onto their doorframes for support.

"Not funny, girls. You do realize Rose will get back at you, too, right?" I said after a moment. That sobered them up quick.

*****

RPOV

I cannot believe what they did! Emmett and I got home this morning and were a little on edge. He knew his brother's would get revenge, but this is just too much! We walked into his room, and when we turned on the light, we froze. They had painted all of his walls a bright pink. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, they had gone over it with some sort of flame-type design in a bright purple. THEN! Then, they put glitter on the design. His room now looked like it belonged to some five-year-old girl! AH! We are _so_ getting them back!

Luckily, Emmett still has the boys' clothes. So, I just need to sneak into the girls' rooms while they are at work, and take some of theirs, too. Piece of cake. First, I need to run up to an arts and crafts store. We need supplies!

~*~

About five hours later - what a way to spend your day off! - we were done. I easily slipped all the clothes I had taken from the girls back into their rooms, while Emmett returned his brother's clothes. The boys totally got it worse than the girls. We sat in the living room of Pennsylvania and watched a movie, waiting for them all to get home.

A couple hours later, Jasper came in the front door. He eyed us cautiously, then slipped into his room. When we heard the shriek and smirked, not looking away from the movie.

"What the hell!?" Jasper came running back out, just wearing boxers.

"Is there a problem?" I asked innocently.

He glared at us both for a moment, before straightening his back a little. "No, not at all." He turned and went back into his room.

I almost lost it when he came back out. He had changed into some sweatpants and an old tee-shirt. What was so great about this outfit? We bedazzled all of their clothes! His sweatpants had a jewel kittycat on the butt, and his shirt had a huge heart covering the front of it.

Emmett chortled a little bit, but Jasper ignored us.

I really almost died when Edward got home. Jasper must have sent him a text or something, because he didn't scream or anything. Just tried to hold his head high when he changed and came back out wearing a pair of sweat pants that had '_Juicy_' bedazzled across the butt and his shirt said _'I Love The Jonas Brothers'_.

The two of them quickly left to go over to Virginia. I suppose we should be expecting some form of revenge now. Goodie.

*****

APOV

I AM GOING TO KILL ROSALIE HALE!!

I got home from work, just to find all of my comfy clothes were bedazzled! Every pair of pajama's, sweats, jeans and t-shirts. How could she do this to me?! This means one thing, and one thing only.

War.

Bella didn't seem to mind, or at least, she played it off well. It was time to start planning. What can we do to get them back?

It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. We had messed with his room, only one other thing to mess with. The Jeep. I called everyone together and got started. We had to get supplies.

~*~

None of us slept tonight. This was a big thing that we could not afford to not be ready for hell to break lose. We didn't have to wait long. Emmett had to get to work early the next day, so we were ready when he burst in the door of Virginia at 6 in the morning.

"Who's idea was it?" He bellowed.

We all smirked. We shall not rat each other out!

"Your not gona tell me? Then just wait! I am making you ALL cry!" He quickly stormed out of the room and we all ran to the window to watch him drive away.

We were all crying from laughing so hard as we watched his formerly manly jeep drive down the road. We had gone down to the crafts store and bought several bags or multi-colored feathers. Then we had bought double sided tape. We wrapped the tape around anything not painted on the jeep, and then gone to town with the feathers. So, now, as he drove down the road, there was a trail of feathers following him as they blew off the tape. And, we had thrown all the extra feathers in the backseat, just to make more of a mess.

Sigh. This is fun.

*****

BPOV

Ok, this practical joke war has gone too far.

We are now all standing in the living room of Virginia, glaring at each other. After the whole feather-jeep prank, they got back at us by dying my hair bright blue and bleaching Alice's hair. We got back by dying Rose's hair red - she had mentioned a while ago how red hair did not suit her - and dying Emmett's hair lime green.

They took it too far.

Their next move was to...

I can't even say it! It makes me want to cry!

Emmett had switched out both Jasper and Edward's shampoo's with hair remover!!!! Now, they are both bald! This is just not right! HOW COULD ROSE DO THIS TO ME!?!?! All of Edward's beautiful hair! GONE!!! Edward and Jasper both assured Alice and I that their hair grows fast, but still!

EDWARD IS BALD!!!

We finally shook and agreed that the prank war was over. We may want to rethink doing this ever again....

~*~

Thursday finally came. It seemed like this was one looong week, but our prank war really only lasted, like, three days. It was bar night. I am still a bit peeved at Rose and Emmett about... the incident, but I had a song chosen for Bellaby Time that I really wanted to do. I had put a lot of thought into it after Mother's Day, and figured I might as well keep it.

We did the first half of our set, and the girls left me on stage to go stand with the guys. I took my stool and guitar out to center stage and sat down.

"Hey everyone!" I got some applause and greetings back. "Well, this week has been crazy. My friends and I had a bit of a prank war - as you can tell by my hair!" I laughed a little. "Well, I picked out this song before all of that, and felt like it was only right to stick with it. This song goes out to the best friends I have ever had."

_When darkness falls upon your heart and soul_

_I'll be the light that shines for you_

_When you forget how beautiful you are_

_I'll be the there to remind you_

_When you can't find your way_

_I'll find my way to you_

_When troubles come around_

_I will come to you_

_I'll be your shoulder_

_When you need someone to lean on_

_Be your shelter_

_When you need someone to see you through_

_I'll be there to carry you_

_I'll be there_

_I'll be the rock that will be strong for you_

_The one that will hold on to you_

_When you feel that rain falling down_

_When there's nobody else around_

_I'll be._

_And when you're there with no one there to hold_

_I'll be the arms that reach for you_

_And when you feel your faith is running low_

_I'll be there to believe in you_

_When all you find are lies_

_I'll be the truth you need_

_When you need someone to run to_

_You can run to me_

_I'll be your shoulder_

_When you need someone to lean on_

_Be your shelter_

_When you need someone to see you through_

_I'll be there to carry you_

_I'll be there_

_I'll be the rock that will be strong for you_

_The one that will hold on to you_

_When you feel that rain falling down_

_When there's nobody else around_

_I'll be._

_I'll be the sun_

_When your heart's filled with rain_

_I'll be the one_

_To chase the rain away_

_I'll be your shoulder_

_When you need someone to lean on_

_Be your shelter_

_When you need someone to see you through_

_I'll be there to carry you_

_I'll be there_

_I'll be the rock that will be strong for you_

_The one that will hold on to you_

_When you feel that rain falling down_

_When there's nobody else around_

_I'll be._

_I'll be._

When I finished the final chord, I smiled at the crowd. I thanked them, then made my way over to my friends. Alice and Rose instantly wrapped their arms around me. When they let me go, I made my way to Edward. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss, which ended when I pouted. I had reached up to run my fingers through his hair.

**A/N: Ok... so... I am TOTALLY expecting tons of hate mail... yea... sorry! I was writing and realized the ultimate ending to the prank war would be everyone's hair getting messed with. So, when it all came out, I almost changed it just because I figure people will attack me for making Edward.... b... b.... I can't repeat it... that would be mean...**

**. **

**Ok, well, please review! Pls? *hides from mob of angry lovers of Edward's hair***


	36. The New Pussycat Doll

**A/N: A new chapter! Yay! FINALLY! I know it has only been like a week, but I had planned to have this chapter out sooner! I started writing this and then erased it all then started again and erased it all and started again. Gah! It is tough when that happens, it feels like nothing is coming together! It makes me sad. :( But all is good cuz I finally got it together! Yay! It is kind of a filler chapter, but I think it is a good one. :) I _might_ be a little bias'ed though... so let me know what you think! hehe.**

**I also got a little hooked on a couple books - The Summoning and The Awakening, both by Kelley Armstrong. It is a series. I stayed up until midnight wednesday night reading the first one and was soooo tired the next day lol then I stayed up late on thursday finishing the second book. I swear, when books get my attention, I cannot not read them! Gah! Anyone who hasn't read them... DO IT! They suck you in, and they are not as long as Twilight, so you can read them and be done and back to Twilight quickly hehe.**

**Ok, enough babbling! Go, read, enjoy! REVIEW!! PLS!!**

BPOV

The past month has been pretty uneventful. Aside from the first week - Alice, Rose and I kept forgetting about our hair, we cried a couple times when we looked in mirrors - things continued as normal. The girls made up some new rules, though. Virginia was now off limits for prank wars, and we were not involved. If the boys wanted to prank each other, they could have at it. Oh, and no more pranks involving hair. We realized just how obsessed we all were with our hair. With everyone's hair. Alice and I could barely look at Jasper and Edward without getting upset, Rose was still pissed that her boyfriend had green hair. Not to mention, we all hated our own hair at the moment.

It got so bad, Rose and I were tempted to cut our hair to Alice's length, just to get rid of the bad colors. If it weren't for the fact that we could not imagine our hair being that short - and the guys may have vetoed that idea, too - we would have done it on day one.

After a little over a month, I was happy to say Edward's hair was almost back to its original length. Too bad Alice still had a while to wait before Jasper's hair got back to normal. Emmett was debating trying a new color on his hair, I think he was thinking orange now, and Rose had promised him she would not speak to him if he dyed it another crazy color. Alice walked around saying how the bleach-blonde look really isn't so bad. Maybe she would bleach it again sometime. Rose and I were on the same page about this. We are fairly certain this was just Alice keeping herself sane, acting like it was O.K. instead of attacking the bear who did this to her.

Oh, yea, so this month wasn't TOTALLY uneventful. We all found out something about Emmett that even his brother's did not know yet. It all happened a week after the war...

~*~

_Rose and I were sitting on the couch in Virginia, eating ice cream and just moping around because of how the prank war ended. Sigh._

_We decided to watch some old episodes of American Idol to cheer ourselves up. We three girls LOVED this show. We have every season recorded and we watch them when we need a good laugh. Right now, we are watching the auditions from a couple seasons ago. They are in California right now. It is amazing how some of these people really think they can sing. Someone lied to them big-time._

_We were holding our sides still from the last person who came on. Next up was some girl. Ryan Seacrest was outside talking to her, seeing how confident she was in her voice. She seemed confident enough and had a good speaking voice. She walked into the room and Simon, Paula and Randy were talking to her for a minute, and then she started her song. She was not horrible, but not amazing either. They weren't impressed enough and said no to her. She ran outside crying and screaming at the camera, which is another part we love. They get so crazy sometimes when they don't make it._

_The next person Ryan was talking to outside the audition room was Chris Daughtry. Rose sighed - she was __**very**__ upset when he got voted off. His audition passed and after the commercial, they showed this nerd of a kid sitting on a bench, waiting. He was tiny and we remembered how he was refered to as Chicken Little during the competition. His name was Kevin Covais. Sitting next to him was a large guy, and at first I figured he was Chicken Little's father or something, but then I saw he had a sticker on his stomache, too, so he was auditioning. We didn't pay him any attention, though. We were just gushing over how cute Chicken Little was. I wonder what he is doing now..._

_The big guy went in first, and so we had to actually look at him. His speaking voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. Randy asked him a question, and Rose and I froze._

_"What's your name, dog?" _

_The guy answered him quickly. "My name is Emmett, Emmett Cullen."_

_"And where are you from, Emmett?" Simon asked._

_"From a little town called Forks, Washington."_

_Rose and I were still just staring. Emmett was standing on screen, wearing baggie jeans and a very big t-shirt. He had on some very fake looking chains and a backwards baseball cap. It looked so wrong on him, I really hoped it was just a 'costume' of sorts, and not how he actually dressed back then._

_They let him do his song, and it was the only thing that could break us from our shock. He sang Don't Cha by the Pussycat Dolls. Everytime they said 'girlfriend', 'her', 'she'... anything feminene really, he switched it for its masculine counter-part. It was hilarious! We were rolling and before long, Simon stopped him. He, of course, did not make it through. Which explains why we did not remember Emmett being on American Idol. Rose paused the show while we laughed and then we ran to get Alice from Pennsylvania._

_We quickly pulled her and Jasper back over to Virginia and got situated again. Rose rewound it really quick then pressed play during Chris Daughtry's audition again._

_"Uh, guys?" Alice asked as we watched. Rose and I were bouncing, excited to show this to Alice. I am pretty sure Jasper knows already, although he looks confused, too._

_"Yus?" I looked at her._

_"Why are we watching Chris Daughtry audition for Idol? I mean, no complaints, but..." She trailed off, still confused._

_"Oh, just wait." Rose snorted _

_We waited for a minute for the commercials to pass again, then Rose and I had to work hard at not bursting out laughing. Alice and Jasper weren't really paying attention, and I laughed a little at them. Once it showed Emmett standing there with the judges, Rose and I watched as recognition flitted across their faces._

_"Is that...?" Jasper started to say._

_"Emmett?" Alice finished for him right before Emmett introduced himself._

_"YES!" Rose and I yelled together._

_Once Emmett was off screen, Rose paused it again. We watched our friends, to see what they would say next._

_"..." Jasper turned and looked at us... ok maybe he __**didn't**__ know about this already..._

_"Did he... I mean... really?" Alice didn't know what to say._

_"Yes, yes he did." Rose snorted again._

_"Jazz... did Emmett really dress like that a couple years ago?" I asked after a moment._

_He just shook his head, still in shock. We girls burst out laughing and we were still rolling when Edward walked in the front door._

_"What's so funny?" He asked as he grabbed a soda from our refrigerator. _

_He walked into the living room and we showed him the performance. He went into shock like Jasper - who still had not snapped out of it yet. For the rest of the day, we kept replaying the performance from time to time, laughing at our bear of a friend. _

_When he got home, we showed it to him and he freaked out. He told us how Carlisle had apparently taken him to California to audition without telling his brothers. He dressed that way so no one would recognize him right away. _

_We, of course, made him sing for us in person... let me tell you! That was just as hilarious! He even added in some dance moves._

_End flashback_

_~*~_

So, now, the girls and I convinced Emmett to try out again. We were working with him on his audition, this time, so hopefully he will make it this time!

*****

EdPOV

I looked in the mirror and smiled at my hair. I am so happy my hair grows fast. Now, if only Bella's hair wasn't still blue. Damn Emmett.

She and Rose had toyed with idea of either cutting it - I would not allow that to happen to her amazing hair - or dying it back to brown. But no dye would be as beautiful as her natural color. So we have to wait it out. I am actually surprised that Alice did not attack Emmett. She cried when she saw Jasper's hair all gone more so than when she saw her hair was bleached. It was rough.

After seeing the American Idol audition, the girls made a new hobby out of coaching Emmett so he could try out again. This time, at least, we would all be there when he tried out. I cannot believe Dad did not tell us about it! I am glad the girls are obsessed with that show, or else we would never have found out. The last season just ended, so they have plenty of time to fine-tune my brother. Should be interesting.

It is thursday again, so tonight the girl's are preforming. They are at the bar now practicing while my brothers and I are sitting around the apartment, bored. I helped Bella pick out her song for this week, so I can't wait for tonight. We just picked out a song we have both been hooked on for a couple weeks now, no special meaning behind it. I like when she picks out songs that have special meanings, but its nice to just see her doing a song she likes.

We met the girl's for dinner, like usual. Then walked back to the bar for the show, like usual. I like the routines we have set in place. It's nice.

They added in some new songs for their set. Some Gretchen Wilson, Britney Spears, Blake Lewis, even some Evanescense. When the break came, Alice and Rose came over to us and we waited while Bella set up her stool and got ready. She greeted the audience, like usual, then did her song.

_Well, you done done me_

_And you bet I felt it_

_I tried to be chill _

_But your so hot that I melted_

_I fell right through the cracks_

_Now I'm trying to get back_

_Before the cool done run out_

_I'll be giving it my best test_

_And nothing's gonna stop me_

_But divine intervention_

_I rockon it's again my turn_

_To win some or learn some._

_But I won't hesitate no more_

_No more_

_It cannot wait_

_I'm yours._

_Well open up your mind and see like me_

_Open up your plans_

_And damn you're free_

_Look into your heart_

_And you'll find love,_

_Love, love, love,_

_Listen to the music of the moment_

_People dance and sing_

_We're just one big family_

_And it's our godforsaken right to be loved,_

_Loved, loved, loved, loved._

_So, I won't hesitate no more,_

_no more,_

_It cannot wait _

_I'm sure_

_There's no need to complicate_

_Our time is short_

_This is our fate_

_I'm yours._

This is the part in the song that the original singer scats and I was surprised when Bella did as well. I had no clue she could do that. I was in awe as the song continued.

_I've been spendin' way too long_

_Checkin' my tongue in the mirror_

_And bending over backwards_

_Just to try to see it clearer_

_But my breath fogged up the glass_

_And so I drew a new face_

_And laughed._

_I guess what I'd be sayin'_

_Is there ain't no better reason_

_To rid yourself of vanities_

_And just go with the seasons_

_It's what we aim to do_

_Our name is our virtue._

_But I won't hesitate no more,_

_No more_

_It cannot wait_

_I'm yours._

_Well open up for mind _

_And see like me_

_Open up your plans_

_And damn your free_

_Look into your heart and_

_You will find_

_The sky is yours_

_So please don't_

_Please don't, please don't,_

_There's no need to complicate_

_Cause our time is short_

_This, this,_

_This is our fate_

_I'm yours._

By the end of the song, my brother's and their girlfriends were dancing around together. I was smiling up at Bella on stage and she was smiling back at me. I hope life stays this way forever.

**A/N: Yay! I hope you all enjoyed this little chapter! I am going to write the next chapter tomorrow, hopefully! So, please review this so I can be inspired to write more!**

**Also, before I post this chapter, this story has 98 reviews! *squeel!* Part of me was going to hold off on posting until I hit 100, but that is not fair to my faithful readers! I am still shocked people read this! I started it on a whim and look how far it has gone! *jumpy/clappy move***

**Ok! Time for bed for the author so I can dream up some new great things for the Awesome 6. :)**


	37. DogSitting

**A/N: Hey guys! I planned to have this written and posted yesterday, but I forgot I had a party to go to. D'oh! This chap is another shorter one, but I hope to get back to my normal, decent length chapters soon! I promise!**

**Not a lot happens in the chapter, another filler, but I have things I want to get into the story, I just need to fill gaps to make it happen. Time needs to kind of speed up, so next chapter, I think, is going to be a bit of a leap forward. Try to stay with it. It won't be a very happy chapter, but it needs to happen for the over-all story.**

**Ok, Go, read, enjoy! REVIEW!!**

**BTW: We made it over 100 for reviews!! Squee!**

EdPOV

I woke up to laughter in the living room. Which is normally a good thing. But it is 6 o'clock in the morning and neither of my brothers wake up this early for the fun of it. I stayed where I was and listened for a moment. There were no female voices out there with them... why are they awake? I heard a bark. Ah. I just got my answer... wait... no, no I didn't.

I walked out of my bedroom and saw Emmett and Jasper on the ground throwing one of Pixie's toys back and forth and the dog was running back and forth between them, trying to get it.

"Where are the girls?" I looked around, hopefully.

"They had to work." Emmett said without looking away from Pixie.

"Emmett volunteered to doggy-sit." Jasper caught the toy and waved it above Pixie.

"Ok..." I walked off to the bathroom to take a shower.

When I came back out, they were all sitting on the couch watching television. Well, Pixie was destroying a treat of some sort, and they were watching a show.

"So, what are you doing with the dog all day?" I asked, sitting in the empty chair.

Pixie jumped off the couch and ran over to my chair. I scooted myself against one side of it and she hopped up next to me. I scratched her absentmindedly as my brother's and I watched television. Before long, the dog was asleep.

"I thought dog-sitting would be fun... this is kind of boring..." Emmett whined after a while.

"What did you expect to happen?" I asked him as Jasper just snorted in response to his comment.

"I don't know. It is a puppy... aren't they supposed to be full of energy?" He gave a pointed glance at the sleeping dog.

"They _do_ have a lot of energy. But, when you sit and watch television, they sit and sleep. If you do something, she will get excited. Watch." Jasper explained, then stood up.

"Pixie!" He called to her and her head instantly perked up. He picked up her toy and started tossing it from hand to hand, she was now standing on the chair, watching it fly back and forth.

"C'mon girl!" Jasper called waving the toy in front of her.

She leapt off the chair towards it. Jasper moved it just before her teeth latched on, and he held it out away from his body, making circles in the air. Pixie was on her hind legs spinning in circles with it. He pretended to throw it down the hall and she ran in that direction. We could hear her sniffing around by the door, trying to find it. After a minute she ran back into the living room and saw Jasper still holding it. She ran to him and tried to jump up for it. He pretended to throw it again, and she ran again. The cycle continued, with Emmett taking over the pretend throwing at some point.

After a while, my stomach grumbled. I looked at the clock and saw it was almost noon.

"Hey, Jasper, want to walk with me down to that little Chinese food place a couple blocks away?" I asked while I stood up. Emmett heard mention of food and lost concentration. Pixie stole the toy and ran away. My brother being who he is, chased her, and now they were running in circles around the apartment.

"Yea, sure. What do you want, Emmett?" He called as we moved towards the door.

Emmett called back his order, still chasing the dog, and we left. It was not a long walk, so Jasper and I had our food and were walking back maybe 20 minutes later. We waited in the elevator for it to reach our floor, and when the doors opened, we were greeted by Pixie.

"Uh... the elevator doesn't open up _at_ our place, right?" Jasper asked as we just stared at Pixie for a minute.

"Last time I checked... no." I responded. We laughed and shook our heads.

I reached down and picked up the dog as we made our way down the hall. She was licking my cheek and neck the whole way. Jasper opened the door for me and we got inside to see Emmett searching every room.

"Lose something?" I laughed.

"Where did you find her?!" He ran over to me and grabbed the dog.

"She met us at the elevator. How did you lose her?" Jasper asked as we walked into the kitchen to set the food down.

"I don't know!" Emmett half-yelled, setting the dog on the ground.

Jasper and I laughed at him as we all pulled out our food.

*****

JPOV

We were all sitting around the living room again, watching television. Emmett was playing with Pixie, so at least they were both entertained. There was a knock on the door, and Emmett was already standing, so he walked over to answer it.

I am not sure what exactly happened next, but it ended with Emmett yelling. Edward and I glanced at each other before jumping up to see what happened, but Emmett was gone. There was a very confused person standing in our doorway, and Edward spoke to them as I took off trying to find Emmett. I got down the hall just in time to see Emmett run into the stairwell, and Edward joined me soon after.

"What the hell?" I looked at him.

"Pixie got out. That guy was looking for someone who no longer lives in our apartment, and he said that when Emmett opened the door, Pixie took off." He sighed.

Well, shit.

We took off after Emmett. We need to find that dog. The girls will never forgive us if we lose their dog. We found Emmett downstairs, he had Pixie cornered. I sighed, relieved.

Then, someone opened the door and she ran again.

"Damnit, Emmett!" I yelled as we all ran outside.

We saw her running down the sidewalk and took off after her. We were all yelling out her name, but she was ignoring us. She would stop every now and then to sniff something, or pee, and we would try to sneak up on her. She always caught sight of us before we got close enough, and would take off again.

The people on the sidewalk were not helping either. It is almost like they were purposefully getting in our way. Before long, we lost her.

"Where do you think she would go?" Emmett asked as we all caught our breath.

"Gee, I don't know. If I were a dog, in New York, where would I go?" Edward said sarcastically.

Emmett was silent for a minute as he seemed to seriously be trying to think about this.

"I think, if _I_ were a dog, I would want to go to Central Park. It is a huge park, with lots of people and things to see." He finally said.

Edward and I both just blinked at him.

"..." Edward seemed to be trying to come up with something to say, but could think of nothing.

"I guess we are checking Central Park." I sighed and we all started jogging there.

We did not see Pixie there, so we split up to walk around and look.

~*~

Several hours later, I walked back into our apartment. I was the first one back, and I knew the girls would be getting home soon. How are we going to tell them that we lost their dog?

It did not take long before my brother's returned, as well. We sat down and tried to figure out how we were going to tell them. This was going to be rough.

A couple hours later, I heard the front door open. Edward and I were sitting in the living room, watching television and Emmett was picking up dinner.

"Hellooooo." We heard Alice call as she walked down the hall.

"Anybody home?" That was Rose.

"Pixieeee!" And there was Bella.

They walked into the living room and Alice came over to me, Rose sat on the couch next to us and Bella wrapped her arms around Edward, still standing behind his chair. She leaned down and kissed him.

"Where is the mutt?" Rose asked, which earned her a pillow being thrown at her head.

"Uh..." Edward started.

"Is Emmett walking her?" Bella asked before he could say anything.

"Well..." I started, but got cut off by Alice.

"He had better have walked her a few times today, I doubt Bella wants her peeing all over her room tonight." My Alice giggled.

Bella glared at her.

"If she does, I am SO moving all her things over to your room."

Alice stuck her tongue out at Bella. Just then, Emmett walked in with the pizza's we sent him to get.

"I'm back. When are the girls coming home?" He called from the kitchen, having not seen Bella apparently when he walked in.

"Uh, they are home now." Rose called back.

"Pixieee!" Bella called for the dog again and tried to turn to find her, but Edward held on to her arms so she couldn't.

"Did you tell them?" Emmett looked at us worriedly when he walked into the living room.

"Tell us what?" Alice asked, all three of them looking between us.

"Well, uh, you see..." Edward started, but wasn't sure how to say it.

So, I tried.

"Well, this guy showed up and, uhm... Emmett, you tell them! It is your fault!" I couldn't stand being the one to tell Alice that her dog was gone.

"Uh... I... uh..." Emmett was also at a loss for words. Great, this is going to take all night.

"Guys! Just spit it out." Rose was getting impatient.

Actually, looking at all three of them, they all were.

"We lost your dog." Emmett finally said quickly.

I got ready for the screaming to start. But, it did not come right away. I looked down at Alice who seemed almost in shock. All the girl's seemed to have a careful mask of calm on, if we didn't know them as well as we do, I wouldn't be able to tell it was just a mask. Alice finally spoke.

"You... _lost... _Pixie?" She spoke slowly.

"Yes. A guy showed up at the door and when Emmett answered it, she ran out. He chased her down the hall and someone else happened to be coming up the stairs and the door to the stairwell was still open. She slipped in it and when she reached the bottom, someone else had propped the door open - I am guessing the people moving in downstairs." Edward started explaining.

"I caught up with her downstairs, but someone walked in the building and she was able to dart out the door. We chased her several blocks before we lost her." Emmett cut in.

"We spent the better part of the day split up, searching for her." I finished, staring at Alice. Hoping she didn't hate us.

We watched the girl's glance at each of us then each other. Then, it happened.

They burst into laughter.

My brother's and I just watched for a few minutes, unsure of how to take this.

"Uh... we aren't joking..." Edward laughed cautiously.

"We know!" Rose said through laughter.

"We knew!" Alice spoke next.

"What do you mean, you knew? Knew what?" I asked.

"We knew she got out as soon as we got home. Mrs. Johnson from 57 found her outside the building this afternoon. She must have come back at some point and you were out looking for her still. Mrs. Johnson knew Pixie was ours, so she brought her in and waited for us to get home." Bella explained when they calmed down enough.

My brother's and I scowled.

"So, you knew when you walked in that door that we lost the dog. And you didn't tell us?" Edward asked, looking right at Bella.

"We wanted to see what you guys would say." Rose shrugged.

"One thing is for sure though, you guys suck as doggy-sitters." Alice laughed.

Edward and I glared at Emmett for tarnishing our reputations.

**A/N: Hey-lo again! I hope you all liked this chapter. Fun times with Emmett losing the dog. *Sigh* OH! And for those of you who notice.... I REMEMBERED TO USE SPELL CHECK THIS TIME!!! Yay me!**

**Love2bdazzled - I am sure other people will be happy for this, too, but you mentioned it. I did not really think about putting in the names of the songs I have used and the artists, but I will from now on. Here is a list of the BellabyTime songs for everyone so you can check out. They are all ones that I LOVE, so I suggest you take a listen. :)**

**Chapter 11 - Take a Bow by Rhianna**

**Chapter 18 - Man! I Feel Like A Woman! by Shania Twain**

**Chapter 20 - Hey You by No Doubt**

**Chapter 26 - This I Promise You by *NSYNC**

**Chapter 35 - I'll Be by Reba McEntyre**

**Chapter 36 - I'm Yours by Jason Mraz**

**From now on, I will mention song title and artist in A/N of the chapters they are in. :)**

**Ok, now, please review for my sanity! I need reviews! They are like _my_ personal brand of heroin.**

**Ok... that was sooooooo cheesey... *sigh***


	38. Long Night

**A/N: Hey guys! Ok, here is the next chapter! I also wanted to say a thank you to those who reviewed last time! And a HUGE thank you to those who review regularly! It means a lot to me! My story now has 108 reviews and it is over 100,000 words! Yay me! I have a running chart in my notebook of each chapter and how many reviews there are and the amt of words and hits and visits. I might be a TAD bit obsessed :) But I am fine with that! **

**And, yes, I keep a notebook full of things about this story. I jot down any song I hear that I want to work in, I have the list of what order they were in while playing I've Never, Rose and Alice's parents names - which I researched popular names for the time periods the characters in Twilight were from - my note of what Alice's surprise was... everything down to how fast hair grows, so I would know how long to say it had been for the chapter after the prank war. Yea, if I haven't told you all yet, I kind of have OCD, so little details are needed lol.**

**Quick note to Cullenlover7257 and everyone else who may be wondering about this. You asked about the rating for this story. I know it is M and I know I haven't really done anything to deserve that rating yet, but it is coming soon. The M is more for language and things that are going to happen in the next couple chapters. That is why this chapter jumps to a couple months after the last one. I have things I need to put in the story, and it was moving a little too slowly to do it. So bear with me! The rating will be earned!**

**Now, a note in regards to this chapter. It is kind of long - not as long as the Mother's Day one, but close. It is a big one, too. It is jumping between BPOV and RPOV the whole time. Like, there are 6 BPOV's and 5 RPOV's. So, sorry if it gets confusing, but I think it is pretty easy to keep up. At least, I tried to keep it easy. There is always a BPOV or RPOV to let you know who it is centering on.**

**It took me a while to write this, because I was crying a lot during it. And I mean _A lot._ **

**Ok, enough of my talking. Go read!**

BPOV

When you are young, time seems to go through speed cycles. During the school year, it seems like time doesn't even pass. Each day drags into the next, no real distinction, no end. Then, finally, you reach summer. Where the days all seem longer, and they flow seemlessly into the nights. Yet it feels like you wake up and 20 minutes later, the day is over. Every day is the same, and they fly by. Before you know it, you are right back in school again, waiting for the days to pass sluggishly by.

Once you become an 'adult' and you go out into the 'real world', everything blurs. It is like a mix of the two. I am not sure if it is a _good_ mix or a _bad_ mix. But the days fly by, like during summer vacations. Unlike summer, though, instead of lasting two and a half months, it is every day of your life.

Some days are really good - you get off work early and come home to find out your boyfriend made you dinner. Sigh. And some days are pure hell – your car won't start, your late to work, you have to work through lunch because some emergency pops up, you work late finishing everything you missed because of that emergency, you get home to find your dog did a number 2 in your favorite slippers… You get the point.

The last four months of my life have sped by - five months since the prank war. A lot more good days than bad, but even more days that just faded into each other, nothing standing out in them. I am not complaining, really, because I have been surrounded by the best people ever. Edward and I are happier than ever. Alice and Rose are the best friends I could ask for. Emmett and Jasper are like the two big brothers that I never knew I wanted. Life is good for Bella. _Thank you Lord!_

Alice and Jasper are doing fine, as well. Which makes me happy. I like when my friends are happy. Edward and I frequently 'double date' with them. Really, we just have movie nights. It is nice to spend quality time with the people you love.

Sadly, though, Alice and I have been noticing that life has not been so good for Rose. We have watched over the last several months as she and Emmett have kind of been growing apart. They seem to always either be fighting or not talking now. And she refuses to talk to us about it. Edward has tried to talk to Emmett, but he won't say anything either. It's like watching a ticking time-bomb.

~*~

Today is the first day that Alice and I have had off together in almost a month, so we are spending the day relaxing. We already painted each other's nails and gave ourselves facials, now we are watching _P.S. I Love You. _It is our favorite movie!

Edward and Jasper should be getting home from work before too long, and Rose and Emmett are having dinner with her mother tonight. Yea, her mother is in town. Shudder. We were both crying our eyes out – the movie was at the part where they just get to Ireland, and her husband left notes for her best friends but not her – when we heard the front door open. Edward and Jasper were talking as they walked down the hall.

"What movie ya'll watching?" Jasper called, we could hear him in the kitchen.

I turned and looked at Edward, he was standing just inside the living room, frowning

"Why are you two watching this movie again?" He asked, as Jasper walked up behind him with a cup in his hand. Jasper sighed when he saw the movie.

"It is a good movie!" Alice yelled, tears were flowing freely down both of our faces.

"Good movies don't reduce you to tears." Edward scoffed.

"No, they don't." I said, with Alice looking at me like I was a traitor. "But, great movies _do_." I finished.

Alice nodded, handing me a fresh tissue. The guys just sighed and sat next to us.

"Don't ever die, Jazzy." Alice sobbed into his chest.

He chuckled nervously. "Not planning on it anytime soon." He responded, rubbing her back.

I looked up at Edward with wide eyes, pouting a little.

"I promise to try my best to not ever die, too." He laughed at me.

I snuggled closer to him. "That's all I ask."

~*~

The movie ended and Alice ran into her room to find a new one for us to watch. The guys and I followed her, in hopes of no more movies that made anyone cry. With our luck, the next one she picked would be Old Yeller.

We were all laughing, looking through the movie choices when the front door slammed open.

"Why aren't you talking to me, _now?!_" We heard Emmett yell.

Alice leapt over and shut her bedroom door, we try to avoid being around any of their fights. When they see us there, either Rose stops talking all together, or she brings us into it. We were silent. Not really _trying_ to listen to them, but also not sure of what to say to each other now.

"Oh, you _know_ why I am not talking to you." Rose spat back at him.

"If I knew, do you really think I would ask?" He growled.

Edward flopped onto Alice's bed with a sigh. "It's going to be a long night." We all nodded and made ourselves comfortable, too. Luckily, Pixie had followed us into the bedroom, so she won't be subjected to the screaming.

*****

RPOV

I cannot believe he doesn't know why I am mad at him! I mean, SERIOUSLY?!

"Rose, just talk to me." He huffed, standing across the living room from me.

"What would you like to talk about? How you lost our dog? Or, maybe, how you embarrassed me in front of my mother?" I yelled at him.

"I didn't lose the damn dog! I answered the door and she ran out. Am I not supposed to answer the door now? Is that added to the list of things Emmett is too stupid to do?" He screamed at me.

I turned and walked into my room, not in the mood for a fight. Apparently, he was, though, since he followed me.

*****

BPOV

We had been sitting around Alice's room for almost an hour now. The screaming never stopped, and this was the worst it had ever been. We were all bored now, having gotten over being worried about them after the first half hour. They seemed to be pulling out everything they could think of to scream at each other tonight.

"Don't you have some cards or anything in here?" Jasper asked, breaking the silence.

"Uh, no. Why would I have cards in my bedroom?" She rolled her eyes.

I snorted, then all of our eyes flew to the door, as if they would throw it open and yell 'Gotcha!'. When nothing happened, we all relaxed again.

Alice and Jasper were laying on her bed, talking quietly. Edward and I were sitting on the floor, our backs against her bed. Right now, we were playing thumb war. He was totally letting me win, but I am not going to complain. A win is a win, right?

It's not that we don't care about their fighting, we are just used to it by now. Yea, this is the worst we have heard so far, but nothing new is being said, really. It is just louder.

I sighed, how much longer can they fight tonight?

*****

RPOV

"Why did you tell my mother that I am not ready to settle down?" I yelled at my idiot boyfriend.

"I didn't! She asked me if I was planning on asking you to marry me, and I said I would when we are both ready!" He yelled right back.

"It was _how_ you said it, Emmett, not _what_ you said! The way it sounded was like I was not too into the idea, but you are. Which is the total opposite of the truth!" I threw my hairbrush at him.

He dodged it and started yelling again. "I _do_ want to get married! Just not yet. We haven't even been together for a full year yet! I don't want to rush things."

I was walking towards the bathroom, but what he said made me stop and turn around.

"Rush things'?! We had sex after two dates!" My voice was getting louder as I spoke. "Could your lack of wanting to 'rush things' be because you expect us to break up? You have so little faith in our relationship that you don't want to buy a Goddamn ring? We could have a long engagement, Emmett! I don't care if we were engaged for 20 fucking years, as long as you put a damn ring on my finger!" I finished in a screech, pointing to my ring finger for emphasis.

"So, all you want is a ring? No need for real feelings if the guy can put a huge fucking diamond on your hand?!" He bellowed.

I slammed the bathroom door shut. I hope he was close enough for it to hit him!

*****

BPOV

When a door slammed shut, we all jumped. Did they leave? Is the fight continuing in Pennsylvania? Is one of them dead, and the other dragging the body away?

We all stayed where we were, listening. We heard some movement in the living room, it sounded like someone was throwing things - no loud crashes, though, so nothing imprtant. Then we heard someone pick up the house phone and dial, then Emmett's voice came, ordering a pizza.

He is ordering food?! In the middle of a fight?! I gaped at Alice, whose mouth was open, too.

"Are you kidding me? He is ordering food?!" Jasper whisper-yelled.

"Shit. That means that we will be in here for a long time." Edward threw his phone across the room.

Sigh.

My head rolled back and hit the bed.

"Alice, as soon as I can, I am buying you a television and dvd player for your bedroom." I turned to face her.

She giggled and we went back to entertaining ourselves.

*****

RPOV

I heard him in there, ordering a pizza. He better not expect me to chip in.

I threw open the door when he hung up. I walked into the kitchen for a bottle of water, not speaking to him.

"Can we talk now, without yelling?" He asked, following me.

I just glared at him.

"Whatever." He turned to leave and I saw the vase of flowers he had gotten me earlier. I grabbed in and threw it at him. It missed and hit the wall, but he jumped to the side to avoid the shattering glass.

"What the hell is your problem?!" He yelled.

"You are my fucking problem! I don't know why I ever thought we were perfect for each other!" I stormed past him.

"So, you can get mad, saying that I have no faith in us when I don't say anything like that? Yet, you can it, actually say that you don't think we should be together?! Your such a fucking hypocritical bitch!" He yelled, punching the wall.

"Get out." I said, holding back my anger.

"What?" He asked, taking a step towards me.

"I said, get out." I spoke through gritted teeth.

"No, we aren't done talking." He walked past me, sitting on the couch.

I walked over and sat in the chair, not speaking.

*****

BPOV

We are now making our own deck of cards. Alice may not have a deck in her room, but she has paper and pens! Edward and I were making the diamonds and hearts, while Jasper and Alice made the spades and clubs. It was keeping us busy. We heard when Emmett's pizza was delivered. We also smelled it.

It smelled _good_.

I felt my stomache rumble. I hadn't eaten since lunch and it was now... SHIT! It is almost ten o'clock! We have been in here for, like, 4 hours! How much longer can they fight?!

It was about a half hour later that I realized how quiet it was in the living room.

"Did they strangle each other?" Edward asked, apparently I am not the only one who just realized how quiet it was.

We heard them start talking again, this time it was actual talking, not screaming. I exhaled, having not realized I was holding my breath. Talking was a good sign. Maybe they will be able to resolve some issues now.

"Done!" Alice said, dancing a little where she was.

We gathered the cards together and 'shuffled' them. You cannot really shuffle paper cards, though, they just flop down. After the quick shuffle, we decided on a good old-fashioned game of Go Fish. About halfway through the game, though, Alice froze.

"Alice?" I spoke softly.

Her wide eyes flitted to me.

"What's wrong?" My head tilted to the side a little.

She shook her head.

"Alice? What is it?" Jasper urged her.

"Ihavetopee." She spoke quickly and quietly. I almost didn't hear her, almost.

I giggled.

"It is not funny!" She huffed at me.

"Uh, yah, it is." I laughed a little more. The guys laughed with me now, too.

Alice glared at us, and continued the game. The guys and I kept laughing, because randomly, we each kept making comments about either the rivers and rain and anything that had to do with liquids. It always makes her have to go _that much worse_ when you that. When we finished, she was glaring at me.

"Hey Bella, _don't you have to pee, too_?" She said sweetly and I glared at her.

Saying _that_ always makes me have to pee. And it worked this time, too. I groaned.

"Bitch."

This time, she giggled. The guys laughed at me, now, too.

*****

RPOV

We sat in silence. Neither of us saying a word, even when the pizza was delivered, Emmett was silent as he handed over the money and took the box. There was something new in the air. I remember the love that surrounded us before, and I knew the tension that had followed us recently. This was new. I couldn't quite put a finger on what it was, though.

Emmett sat the pizza on the coffee table as he walked back to the kitchen to grab plates and a couple drinks for us.

We ate in silence.

We got through about half of the pizza before we stopped. I played with my cup, not sure of what to say.

"What happened to us, Rose? We were happy, weren't we?" Emmett spoke, barely above a whisper.

I heaved a shakey sigh.

"Yea. We were. Or, at least, I thought we were." I couldn't look at him, even though I felt his eyes on me.

"Where do we go from here?" His voice was a little shakey, now, too.

I didn't say anything for a minute.

"I don't know." I felt a tear roll down my cheek and quickly reached up to wipe it away.

"I love you, Rose, I love you so much. And it is killing me to see what is happenning to us."

"I love you, too, Emmett. But, maybe it isn't the right kind of love? What if love isn't enough?" I finally looked at him.

"Damnit, Rose. I know how I feel. I know with every ounce of me, every fiber of my being, that you are the one for me. You are my world, Rosalie Hale."

I watched the emotions in his eyes, and it killed me to realize what the shift in the atmosphere around us was.

"Emmett." I started, but he cut me off.

"No, Rose. Don't say it." He pleaded.

I tried again. "Emmett, I love you, and I don't want to hurt you anymore."

He jumped up, walking to the other side of the room. My tears flowed freely now. I can't believe what I am about to do.

*****

BPOV

The deck of cards kept us occupied, for a while.

Eventually, though, that got boring, too. Finally, Alice picked up all the 'cards' and threw them around saying '52 card pickup!'.

She and I giggled while the guys groaned, knowing we would make them find them all.

They set to work, crawling around the room. Suddenly, Alice jumped up and onto Jasper's back. I was rolling with laughter. Edward joined in the laughter, and it was difficult to keep it quiet.

"How do I make this horsey move faster?" Alice whispered over to me.

We had taken to whispering when Rose and Emmett stopped yelling, afraid to call any attention to ourselves.

Jasper moved around in circles for a minute before Alice fell off of him because she was laughing too hard. We all collapsed.

"You know, she hasn't even realized we are missing." Alice said to me after a quiet minute.

"Your right!" I was a little shocked, usually Rose freaks out when she doesn't know where we are.

"The nerve of some people! How self-involved is she?!" Edward scoffed.

Alice and I glared at my boyfriend for his sarcasm while Jasper chuckled.

We were silent for a few more minutes.

"Do you think a pizza place would deliver to a window?" Jasper asked.

We all chortled a little more before resigning ourselves to finding our 'cards' again.

*****

RPOV

I tried to get a grip on myself before speaking again. I needed to get control again.

"I can't do this anymore. I can't and I won't. We cannot keep hurting ourselves like this. Everyday we pick at each other like vultures. We find flaws that we ignored before, and we pick at them. I feel myself doing it, I feel it, and I know I shouldn't, but I do it anyways. I do not want to hurt you anymore, Emmett. I love you enough to know that we need to say goodbye. We need a break. I want you to be the one for me, but right now, that is not going to happen. We are both miserable. Neither of us deserve what we have become." I had to stop. I needed a couple deep breaths before I could continue, but he beat me to it.

"I don't want to lose you." He sounded so vulnerable, so broken. I cried harder, knowing it was my fault.

He moved quickly, and was now kneeling in front of me, wiping away my tears.

"Please, Rose, don't do this. Please." He whispered.

I shook my head, grabbing his hands and pulling them away from my face.

"I have to Emmett. I have to, because I love you."

With that said, he stood up. He ran a hand through his hair, looking more lost than I had ever seen him.

Then he left.

And I curled into a ball on the couch, letting the tears take over.

*****

BPOV

After a few more hands of Go Fish, we realized how quiet it was again. There was no sound in the living room.

"Is Emmett ordering another pizza?" Edward grumbled.

We were all hungry and Alice and I were bouncing in place, having to pee so bad. Jasper stood up and inched over to the door. He listened carefully, then slowly opened it. The lights were on, but we could hear Rose's soft snoring.

He opened the door slowly, and we all tip-toed out of the room. Alice and I made a mad dash to the bathroom. I got there first and quickly relieved myself. Alice practically shoved me out of the way once I was done.

I walked out to the living room to see Edward and Jasper quickly devouring the remaining pizza. Chuckling at them, I glanced at my best friend, asleep on the couch. She was curled in a ball and you could easily see the tear tracks down her cheeks. Alice came out soon, and I looked at her.

"What do we do?" I whispered.

She shrugged, then pulled the afghan off the back of the couch and laid it over Rose. Sighing, we all said goodnight and silently made our ways to bed.

**A/N: Ok, I know that was a serious chapter, but I tried to mix in humor with the two happy couples. I was trying to counter-act the sadness of Em and Rose, but it still made me cry as I wrote it. There is a reason behind why I made them break-up, and it will come out next chapter. **

**Please review and let me know what you think. No matter if it is an 'I loved it!' or an 'I hate you for doing that!' I want your feedback. This chapter took a lot out of me, so I am going to go do something happy for a while.**

**Please, please, please review!**

**~AP**


	39. It's Not Thursday

**A/N: Hey guys! This is a shorter chapter, but the next will hopefully be out tomorrow... I also have been meaning to announce this, but keep forgetting. I now allow anonymous reviews - I want to know what everyone thinks even if they don't want to have their name attached to it. So, review!**

**Ok, I am glad you all have such faith in me and accepting that there is a reason behind the break-up! This is the chapter you find out what the reason is... Enjoy?**

BPOV

It has been about a week since they broke up. Emmett has spent the whole time sulking, and Rose is trying to act like she is fine. She is far from fine, though. Alice and I hear her crying in her room at night.

Just like with me, when Jake and I broke up, we gave Rose a time limit on wallowing. She didn't exactly do it the way I did, no moping for days on end, but I almost think she was worse. She wouldn't let herself be sad for any extended period of time. She needed to let it out.

So, tonight, Alice and I had a plan.

I went to the grocery store while Alice hit the movie rentals and the liquor store. We were helping her to move on. I grabbed all of our favorite junk foods. Twinkies, ho-ho's, M&M's, snickers. I hit the soda and chip isle - grabbing several bags of chips and a couple bottles of cola. I made a stop to grab ice cream - chocolate and vanilla. I picked up what I needed to make different dips for the chips and even a cake. We were going all out on comfort food tonight. I also made sure to pick up an extra couple boxes of tissues.

I made it home at around 4 p.m. Rose doesn't get off work until 6, so that gave me plenty of time to get things ready. Around 5, Alice walked in. The cake was in the oven, and I was working on some guacamole now.

"I got an assortment." Alice said, heaving a box onto the counter. I peaked inside and stared, completely shocked, at the amount of alcohol Alice had bought.

"Are you trying to kill us all?" I choked out.

She laughed. "You can never have too much booze."

She, then, hefted a bag of movies on the table. "Now, I wasn't sure if we should go for a tear-fest or just girl bonding. So, I got: A Walked to Remember,-" I sighed. "-My Girl, Bridge To Terabithia, Nights In Rodanthe, The Notebook and Steel Magnolias. Those all, obviously, being the tear-fest options." I waited for the girl-bonding movie list. And the wait was not long. "We also have: Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants(the first one), Divine Secrets of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Now and Then, Bridget Jone's Diary, and Monty Python and The Holy Grail." I nodded, accepting her choices.

Alice then started helping me make the food. At 6 exactly we were setting everything out in the living room. We then went and changed into pajamas - what is good bonding without pajamas?

Rose walked in the door at six forty five.

"What is that smell?" Was the first thing out of her mouth.

THE CAKE!!!! I forgot about the cake!!

I ran into the kitchen and pulled the now destroyed cake from the oven. I pouted at Rose and Alice.

"Why were you making a cake?" Rose laughed at me.

Alice came over and hugged me while trying not to laugh.

"This is a girl bonding night. No boys allowed. Just us, food - minus cake - and movies." Alice proclaimed while I set down the ruined cake and turned off the oven.

Sighing, I followed them into the living room. Rose ran to change into her pajamas as Alice and I settled ourselves into the couch. We had made sure we each had a pillow, a blanket and our own box of tissues. Rose's things were waiting on the chair.

"So, what movies do we have?" Rose asked as she emerged from her room.

Alice grabbed the bag and listed off titles to her - she was careful to mix it up so she wouldn't notice the obvious themes.

"Please tell me you don't expect to watch _all_ of those tonight." Rose laughed.

"Alice went a little crazy. I should have known better than to send her alone." I added, laughing with her.

Alice stuck her tongue out at us.

"I vote Holy Grail first." Rose said as she dipped a chip in one of the many bowls on the coffee table.

Alice and I agreed and I put in the movie while she left to get us our first drinks of the night. Luckily, she had stocked up on wine coolers, not hard liquor. The movie started and we all settled into our seats. This movie always had us in stitches, and this time was no different from before.

Next we moved onto Bridget Jones' Diary and that just made us want to watch one of the tear-fest movies. Half-way through, we stopped it and put in The Notebook. Of course it ended with us all crying our eyes out and yelling at each other 'She remembered!!!'.

We needed to recuperate after that one, so we took a break from movies and chit-chatted.

"So, Rose, any hot guys come into the shop recently?" Alice asked, using a chip to scoop out some guacamole.

"Eh, one guy." She shrugged.

"Who?!" We both jumped at the possibility of Rose meeting a hot guy.

"He is one of my regulars. He has some amazing cars, and I am the only one who is allowed to work on them. He has had them shipped to me when something happened somewhere else in the country." She chuckled a little at this.

"Ooh. He must be rich, then." Alice was getting excited.

Rose nodded. "He comes from money. He is getting ready to run the family business soon. He just recently got a _Bugatti Veyron_. He brought it in today for me to run some diagnostic tests on it - he wants to make sure nothing got damaged when it was shipped to him. I ate lunch in the shop today so that I could protect it from the idiot with wrenches in their hands." She seemed a bit more interested in the car than him, though.

When Alice and I apparently did not have the appropriate reaction to the car, she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"That car costs about 1.7 million dollars." She explained.

I froze. _1.7 million dollars?! _

"Holy Shit!" Alice yelped.

Rose nodded, accepting our reactions now.

"Has he like, asked you out of anything?" Alice hedged.

"A couple times. I was with Emmett, though." She shrugged again.

"You should _so_ go out with him!" Alice was getting excited now.

"What is his name?" I asked, finally getting my voice back.

"Oh, uh. King, Royce King."

*****  
EdPOV

Jasper and I were forbidden from seeing our girlfriends tonight. They were trying to get Rose to talk to them about everything that happened with Emmett. I sighed, not really paying attention to the video game Jasper and I were playing. Emmett was watching us play. Or, rather, he was sulking on the couch while we played.

"Why don't we go out somewhere?" Jasper suggested when he beat me, again.

"Where?" I asked, trying to think of somewhere to go.

"Why not the bar? I know it isn't Thursday, so Paul will be shocked to see us. But, why not? Get out of the apartment, have fun. Just us guys." He seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as us.

I agreed it could be fun and Emmett just shrugged.

It did not take us long to get ready, and we headed out. Jasper and I glanced at the Virginia quickly, but continued on to the elevator. It took longer to get to the bar than usual, but we finally made it. There wasn't much of a line, and as Jasper predicted, Paul was a bit shocked to see us.

"Where are your ladies?" He asked as we approached the door.

"Having a girl's night in." Jasper answered as I gave the big man a nod in greeting.

"So the boys have to actually pay to drink tonight? Wow." He laughed a little. He had finally gotten over his apparent issues with us, thankfully. He let us in with no problems and we made our ways over to our usual spot.

"Cullens! It's not Thursday, what're you guys doin' here?" Embry, the bartender, shouted as he made his way to us.

Is it so weird to see us without the girls?

"Having a boys night out." Jasper laughed as Embry handed us our beers. He knew what we drank.

"Yo 'bry, hit me up with a shot of Jack, too." Emmett finally spoke.

Embry nodded, pulling out a shot glass and filling it quickly before walking away to help some other customers. Emmett and Embry had taken to calling each other 'bry and 'mett a while back. Apparently, both were used to people refering to them as 'Em' since both their names started that way, and it was their way of joking about it.

Emmett downed the shot and chased it with his beer. Before long, he had us all doing shots of Jack. This could get ugly...

~*~

The next morning, I woke up with a horrible headache. I tried to remember the night before, and only got flashes of it. I am never doing shots with Emmett and Jasper again. I fell out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. After a long shower, I went to the kitchen and chugged several glasses of water. I heard a door open and someone move through the living room.

"Do you have as bad a hangover as me, or what?" I laughed a little, looking around the corner to see which of my brothers was up.

That was not my brother.

That was a female.

Not just any female.

That is Jessica.

A former member of my girlfriends band.

_Awkward._

**A/N: Ok, so, not only am I bringing _in_ Royce King, but I am also bringing _back_ Jessica... *waits for hate-mail***

**Maybe this is the wrong chapter to have let y'all know I am allowing anonymous reviews...**


	40. Be Gone, Wench!

**A/N:**

**Hello kiddies!!**

**I just wanted to do a semi - quick note - sorry, I really don't like posting notes without chapters, so sometimes these get long! I just wanted to say some things before I forgot them. :)**

**Number One - not totally story related but... Sunday I spent the whole day in Pennsylvania - teehee. I visited my grandmother who lives there and was there all day. So, since beginning this story, i have been to both VA and PA. yay! Makes me giggle when I think about it cuz it makes me think about the story **_**that much more**_**. :)**

**Number Two - Royce and Jessica will only be around for a couple chapters, so no worries of them sticking around.**

**Number Three - Jessica came home from the bar with Emmett. *shudder* I had not planned that out ahead of time, but it works. You will all see. :)**

**Number Four - You all are amazing! I am loving all the reviews and adds! They make me all warm and squishy inside! **

**Number Five - I still have a lot planned out for this story, so I am kind of planning on it being around for a while. It will end up being really long, so I hope none of you mind long stories. :) That being said, I plan to still be writing this for a couple more months. In August, I go to the beach in Delaware with my friends for a week. So nothing will get posted for that length of time. (I know, August is a good distance away still, but I think ahead lol) I will mention it closer to that week, too, but it is on my mind now, so I feel compelled to mention it. I have not decided yet if I will plan on writing the final chapters during that week, or if it will just be another set of chapter - like my trip to the wedding before. I have lots going on in my head. Lol. Like I said, I think WAY ahead of myself sometimes. **

**Number Six - I am going to start making polls with each chapter. I will post them on my profile - if I can figure out how to . - and I encourage leaving reviews with explainations to your responses. So, since I expect reviews to go with them, I will have the poll questions and choices posted at the end of each chapter. I am not sure yet on if you can have more than one poll going on a profile at a time, so if I post multiple chapters, I might only have one on my profile, the other will just be a review - based poll. :) If any of that makes sense... **

**Anyways! Onto writing!**

**~AP**

BPOV

Last night went really well. We laughed, we cried, we got mad at stupid characters. We ate tons of junk food and all got a little tipsy. At one point, we even started picking at the overcooked, un-iced cake! It was fun! Rose even opened up to us about Emmett. Finally!

She told us about them growing apart slowly, how she felt herself puting distance between them. She hated herself for everything she put him through, but couldn't stop it from happening.

I felt really bad for her.

She also told us about this guy, Royce. He seems like a good enough guy. She doesn't know him very well, yet, but she is open to the idea of getting to know him. That is a step in the right direction. She left early for work today - Royce's new car was waiting for her. She promised us that when she saw him today, she would ask him out. Go Rose!

When I woke up, I felt like crap. Between the wine-coolers and sugar, I was toast. I slowly made my way over to Pennsylvania, and when I got to the door I heard a familiar laugh. My head cocked to the side as I openned the door, and the laugh got louder. I walked into the living room, and was suddenly very self-conscious.

I was still in my pajamas. Not just that though, I also had severe bed head - my hair was sticking up in many directions - and the left leg of my pajama bottoms was bunched up just under my knee. I had worn an old pair last night, so it didn't fit me in the most flattering way, either.

Why I felt self-conscious, was sitting on the couch. Sitting on the couch, next to Emmett. Sitting on the couch, next to Emmett, wearing a _very_ revealing dress. Sitting on the couch, next to Emmett, wearing a revealing dress and _holding his hand._

Jessica.

Edward was sitting in their chair, his back to me. I walked over and wrapped my arms around him. I sighed a little when his hands automatically came up to grip mine. He turned to give me a quick kiss.

"Bella!" Jessica yelped.

"Hey, Jess." I gave her a forced smile.

"Wow. You look like hell!" She giggled.

I didn't even attempt to be nice, now. Instead, I glared at her.

"Bells?" I heard Alice call as she walked down the hall.

I turned to watch her come in. She was in a very similar state to me. This made me happy, at least I am not the only one.

"Guess who's here, Al!" I said with fake enthusiasm.

"Who?" She grunted.

"Jess!"

Her face fell, and she mouthed to me, 'Are you serious?'

I chuckled and nodded. She glared at the wall, as if she was looking through it and at Jessica. Then, she continued past me, and curled up next to Jasper on the floor.

"So, like, you are all dating?" Jess spoke again, causing everyone to grimace.

Why is she here?! This is our little family. Be gone, wench!

"Yes, Jess, we are all dating." Alice grumbled, not bothering to look at our lost band-mate.

I leaned down and whispered in Edward's ear.

"Why is she here?"

He pointed at Emmett, and I actually paid attention to the fact that they were holding hands. I grimaced.

"So, where is Rosie? I haven't seen her in _ages_!" Jess asked.

I shuddered. I never realized before how nasally and grating her voice is...

"She went into work early." I spoke next.

Jess accepted this answer. She bounced around a little in her seat, having way too much energy for us. Alice is usually drawn to other perky people, but even she was glaring at Jess now. At least I am not alone in my wanting her gone.

~*~

Tonight is Double Date Night. Yay!

The first Double Date Night had a lot of issues because Pixie kept getting into trouble. So, we learned a while ago that we needed to lock her in my room during these nights. I felt bad every time and piled all of her toys with her, but she usually just fell asleep. That dog sleeps _a lot._ She was in the living room now, destroying one of her toys, as Edward and I were cooking.

Edward and I have the routine down perfectly now. I am working on the main dish - tonight, it is stuffed shells - while he works on the side dish. It is a simple meal tonight, my stuffed shells and Edward's salad. I was mixing the shell filling while he cut up the veggies for the salad.

Alice and Jasper walked in right at 6 o'clock, like usual. Jasper was carrying a bottle of wine with him. We only have wine on Double Date Night because it makes us feel mature. Plus, I think Al and I are becoming wino's. We constantly have some at the apartment, now. We are trying to convert Rose, too.

Jasper grabbed the wine glasses, carrying them into the small dining room, while Alice went to put Pixie and her toys in my room. Edward placed the large salad bowl in the middle of the table, as I put the shells in the oven to bake while we ate that. Taking my seat, opposite Edward, we all munched on the salad and chit chatted. It was a nice night.

"So, what is going on with Em and Jess?" Alice asked after I had pulled the shells out of the oven and served them.

Jasper and Edward shared a nervous look.

"Tell us." I said, sipping my wine.

"Well, we ran into her and Lauren at the bar last night. Lauren got bored of us fast, but Jessica was all over Emmett." Jasper started. "He was put off by her at first, but after a few more shots of Jack..." He trailed off.

"OK, so that explains why she was here at first." Alice allowed.

"But, why did she stick around and why were they holding hands?" I asked what we both wanted to know.

Jasper shrugged.

"I have a theory." Edward spoke, and all eyes turned to him. "I think, at first, Emmett felt bad telling her to leave. So, he didn't. But, now, it is almost as if he is using her for something."

Alice and I gasped. Emmett wasn't like that. He wouldn't use a girl for sex, he is too nice.

"Not like that." Edward said, obviously knowing what we thought. "I think it is something else, but I am not sure yet. I doubt he will sleep with her again, but don't be surprised if you see her again." He shrugged.

I frowned. Why would Emmett keep her around, when even he isn't all that fond of her. Hmm...

When we were finished eating, Alice helped me put away the left-overs. Then, we joined the guys in the living room. It was their turn to pick the movie, so no surprise when one with lots of explosions started.

Alice and I fell asleep soon after it started.

*****

RPOV

I woke up feeling a bit groggy. Today was going to be fun at work. Sigh.

I pulled my car into the parking lot behind the shop and made my way inside. I am always the first one in, so I quickly disabled the alarm and started up the computer in the shop. The shop I work in is a small one, compared to big name places. We didn't even have a real office. There was a front desk, with one computer, and the actual shop part of the place, with another computer. Paul, the shop manager, does all of his paperwork up on the front desk. He is basically our boss _and_ receptionist. It is weird.

I made my way up front, next, to start up that computer. While both computer booted up, I moved over to my corner of the shop. There are only five of us who work in this shop, including Paul. Four mechanics and we each have our own designated corner. There is a large open area in the middle of the place for us to pull cars in and out. The Veyron was sitting over my jack, so I hit the button to lift it up. I sighed, watching the beautiful vehicle rising in front of me.

I stopped the lift when it was high enough for me to work under. I walked back over to the computers to make sure they were running right. When I approved of them, I walked back to my space. I pulled my tools over after slipping on some latex gloves, and got to work.

~*~

After about three hours of work, I was done checking everything on the car. During that time, Paul and a couple of our other mechanics had made it in. After checking everything off on the computer, I pulled the Veyron out to the back parking lot. I made my way inside and to our front desk. There were a couple people waiting for oil changes, and I ignored them.

"Hey, Rose. How's Mr. King's car?" Paul asked when I passed him to get to the computer.

"Perfect, of course. And, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't refer to that beautiful vehicle simply as a _car. _I expect better from you. Tsk, tsk." I responded, saying the word car like it was vulgar. Paul chuckled at me.

I pulled up Royce's number and called to let him know that his car was ready to be picked up.

I set to work on a couple of the other cars that were waiting for me. I was the only mechanic at the shop who had people requesting for them to work on their cars. I was fairly certain that if, for some reason, I stopped working here, they would follow me.

"I trust you kept my new baby safe." The sound of Royce's voice made me drop the part I was working on. Effectively covering me in oil. _Awesome._

At least I was wearing a jumpsuit.

I came out from under the car to see his smiling face.

"Would I let anything happen to that work of art?" I grinned back at him.

We walked out to the back parking lot together, and I showed him the car.

I babbled for a few minutes on what I found while under the hood, and he listened politely. I knew he didn't really care, so long as it was nothing serious and I had fixed any possible issues. We chatted for a few more minutes about cars, then he moved to leave.

I told the girls I would ask him out today, and the sudden nerves in my stomach made me bite my lip.

"Uh, Royce?" I called, unsure of myself suddenly.

I have never asked anyone out before...

"Yea?" He turned back to me with a smile.

"I was, uh, wondering. Maybe you'd like to, I don't know, go out? Sometime? Maybe?" God, could I sound more like an idiot?

_'Gee, willickers, Royce. Would you fancy a night on the town with me? It'd be the bee's knees!'_

I frowned at myself, while Royce chuckled.

"I'd love to." He said after a moment, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Really?" I couldn't stop my grin.

He nodded and climbed into the Veyron. I told him where I lived and he said he would pick me up tonight at 5 o'clock.

I looked at the clock and saw it was right around lunch time. That gave me plenty of time to finish up here and run home to get ready for the date.

~*~

Tonight was Double Date Night for my best friends. Which worked out perfectly. I wouldn't have to sit around and watch them be all lovey-dovey with their boyfriends.

I had no clue where Royce was taking me, so it was tough finding the right outfit. Finally, I settled on a little black dress, with bright red heels. My purse matched the shoes, and I had a matching clip in my hair, too. It was simple enough if we went somewhere casual, and dressy enough if he took me somewhere fancy. Every girl has to have a little black dress for such occasions.

Royce was at the apartment at five o'clock exactly, and we left while Bella was still in the shower. No awkward meet-the-best-friends moments tonight. He was driving the Veyron tonight, which started things off perfectly!

He took me to a fancy restaurant downtown. It made me a bit giddy to go somewhere like this. Emmett never took me to these kinds of places, he couldn't act proper long enough for them. Sigh, Emmett.

The night went flawlessly. I caught myself thinking about or mentioning Emmett a few times, but did pretty good at keeping him out of this date. How horrible is it to mention your recent ex on a first date? Gah! Horrible manners! My mother would go nuts if she found out.

He dropped me off at the building early, not wanting to be rude and keep me out late. He is such a gentleman. Yea, I totally just swooned a little.

After saying goodnight, I made my way upstairs. I could hear a movie playing when I walked in. Something with lots of action - obviously it was the boys turn to pick.

Maybe one day soon, it would turn into Triple Date Night. Only time will tell.

I smiled with that thought as I climbed into bed.

**A/N:**

**Ok, time for the survey! Yay!**

**This one will be kinda simple. Nothing complicated, this time. :)**

**What will Royce's reaction to Pixie be?**

**A. Hates dogs.**

**B. Loves dogs.**

**C. Fears all dogs.**

**D. Allergic to dogs.**

**I am not sure how many choices you can have on a profile poll, but I will be trying to put it up now. Check there, or just post your answer in a review! Thanks!**

**~AP**

**P.S. Gah! My power TOTALLY just blinked out! Luckily, I saved this all before that, so I didn't lose anything! Phew!**


	41. We're screwed

**A/N: Hey guys!**

**Ok, this is a very short chapter. It is basically a teaser for the next one. I know that is evil, but the next chapter will be crazazy.**

**The poll question in still up on my profile because I have gotten 9 responses. That inclued ones that were in reviews. So, either, please answer the poll question at the end of last chapter, or let me know if you guys think the polls are a stupid idea. **

**That being said, I got like, 2 reviews last chapter... I am taking that to mean ya'll arent really into it all, which is making it tough for me to write. **

**Let me know how you guys feel!**

RPOV

I has been two weeks since my first date with Royce.

Two weeks.

That is 14 days.

This time has been filled with 12 dates.

It has been amazing.

The only thing that has cramped my two weeks of bliss?

Emmett is still dating Jessica.

The girls told me about how he hooked up with her the night of our girls night in. He doesn't see her often, which I am thankful for. I don't want to see her any more than I have to. But, still. Jessica? Emmett can do _so_ much better.

The girls still haven't really met Royce, but tonight that is going to change. Tonight is their usual Double Date Night, but we are making it a Triple Date Night. Maybe we can make this permanent. Sigh. How great would that be?

I get off work in a half hour, then I have to rush home and get cleaned up. I am _so_ excited for tonight!

*****

APOV

Oh, tonight is going to be fun!

Rose and Royce are joining our Double Date Night! I can't wait to meet him! I mean, I have seen glances of him when he picks Rose up for dates, but haven't _really_ met him.

"What time are we going over there?" Jazzy asked from the bathroom.

We were getting ready now.

"Normal time. I figure Bella is freaking out, so we need to get over there to relieve Edward of trying to keep her calm." I giggled. Bella is just as excited as me to meet Royce.

When it was time, he grabbed the bottle of wine and we made the short walk to Virginia. We got inside and walked into the kitchen. I had to hold back a laugh at the sight before me. Bella was rushing around, preparing a salad and the side dishes. She looked a mess, with hair flying in every direction and sweat coating her face. It is like she has a meeting with the principal and she is terrified she will get in trouble.

I giggle a little, and her head snaps up to glare at me.

*****

BPOV

Oh God. Oh God. Oh. God.

Edward is on the balcony, grilling the chicken. I am running around the kitchen like a mad woman trying to prepare everything else. Royce is rich, he is used to full meals, not just a bowl of spaghetti and a boring salad!

So, here I was, making a salad, mashing potatoes, rolls, and steaming veggies. I even have leafy things to garnish the plates with! Do I look like a five star restaurant?! I DIDN'T THINK SO!

But, I want him to like us! I want Rose's boyfriend to like her best friends! Is that so much to ask?!

I hear Alice giggle and snap my head up to glare at her.

"You." I point to her. "Get over here and toss this salad!"

"You." I point to Jasper. "Pour me a glass of wine, then go make sure your brother doesn't burn the chicken."

Jasper silently pours me my wine and slips out of the kitchen, while Alice hops over and started playing with the salad.

"Relax Bella, breathe." She speaks softly to try and help me calm down.

"No. I cannot relax. Because our Double Date Night, turned into a Triple Date Night, and when Edward came over, he told me it is now a Quadruple Date Night." I huffed, checking the veggies in the steamer. Then I quickly pulled open the oven to check the rolls and then pull them out.

"A Quad...? Please tell me its not..." She stared at me, fear in her eyes.

"Of course it is Emmett and Jessica. Who else would it be? Angela and Ben? Why would they come to Double Date Night? They are sane!" I screamed.

Our Double Date Night has exploded and turned into something frightening. I had secretly always hoped Rose and Emmett would come to Double Date Night, too. Just, in my hopes, it had simply turned into Triple Date Night with them... no extra parties. So, now, I am meeting my best friend's boyfriend while her ex-boyfriend and his... Jessica... are going to be here.

How awkward can tonight get?!

*****

EdPOV

I have been banished to the balcony.

All because I happened to show up with news that made my beautiful girlfriend freak out.

Damn Emmett.

I dutifully flipped over the chicken, then sat back on one of the folding chairs the girls had set up out here. At least it was a nice evening. Suddenly, the sliding glass door openned and Jasper stepped onto the balcony with me.

"Have you been banished, too?" I asked after he had shut the door again.

"Is she O.K.?" He glanced back inside.

I frowned. "She is kind of freaking out..."

He snorted.

"...because I told her that Emmett and Jessica are coming tonight, too."

"Shit." With that, he dropped into a seat next to me.

"How messed up is tonight going to be? Really? I mean, we are all adults. We can be mature, right?" I asked, hopeful.

Jasper turned and stared at me.

"Edward, we may be adults, but we are far from mature. If you were in Emmett's shoes, with Bella showing up with a new boyfriend, how would you act?"

I thought this over for a few minutes in silence. I groaned out loud when I realized how royally screwed we really are tonight.


	42. Quad Date Night

**A/N: ZOMG! This chapter gave me some problems! It didn't end how I had thought it would, but I am happy with it. :) I tried to add in as much humor as I could, but I needed the substance, too! So, the results to the poll were that Royce would hate Pixie. I decided to have him try to cover his hate of her with a fake allergy. Makes him seem worse. lol Well, I am planning to spend most of tomorrow on next chapter. It is going to be an important one. I want Royce and Jessica gone, so it might end up being really long. Sigh, I _know_ how much everyone hates long chapters with lots of stuff happening in them. **author would like to point out the sarcasm dripping from that sentence****

**I tried to make Jessica as annoying as I could. :-D**

**Well, go, read. REVIEW! Let me know what you think! **

JPOV

Edward and I stayed on the balcony until the chicken was done cooking. Carefully, we made our way inside again. If we drop this chicken, I think Bella might have a conniption fit.

As we were walking through the living room - me in front of Edward making sure there was nothing he could hit or trip over - we heard the front door open.

"Hello?" Rose called.

"ROSE!" Bella and Alice yelled at the same time.

I froze, and because Edward was busy making sure nothing fell off the plate, he ran into my back. I jumped away from him, he jumped back. I flipped around to help if he needed it, but he seemed to have the situation under control. One piece of chicken almost fell but he caught it in his hand and quickly set it back on top of the pile. We both glanced around to make sure no one saw.

When we were sure it was safe again, we continued to the kitchen. Just as we walked in, we saw the backs of the girls as they walked out and down the hall. They went into Rose's room, and Edward and I both sighed after he safely set the chicken on the table.

Just as we were about to relax, Crazed Bella was back.

"What are you doing?!" She screamed.

Edward and I leaped to attention again and both faced the chicken, making sure we hadn't somehow dumped them all on the floor or something without noticing. Crazed Bella rushed over and lifted the plate off the table quickly.

"They are going to get cold! How long have they been sitting there?" She poked one a little, testing if it was frozen, no doubt.

Moving swiftly, she placed the dish in the oven, then turned back to glare at us.

"You better not have gotten chicken juice on the table cloth!" She scolded, hurrying back over to inspect the white table.

We watched as she sighed and wiped off the spot the plate had been in, then turned and left the kitchen again. Edward and I both leaned in to see if there was any possible drop of anything. I saw nothing, and glanced at my brother who also seemed to see nothing. We started to relax again.

There was a scream.

We both jumped up again and ran toward the scream. Edward knocked over a chair and I ran into a wall, but we finally made it to the room the girls were in. We heard Rose talking very loud and fast behind the shut door, and realized the girls told her that Emmett and Jessica would be here tonight.

Tonight is going well, so far. Can't wait for the real fun to begin.

*****

APOV

Bella just got back to Rose's room after yelling at the boys for trying to screw up the chicken and table. We were unsure as to how we should tell Rose about the situation, but we had to warn her.

"Erm, Rose?" I bit my lip, watching her ruffle through her clothes.

"Whats up?" She was in such a good mood, how can we kill this?!

"Emmett and Jess are coming tonight, too." Bella blurted.

_That's_ how we can kill this...

Rose froze as Bella hid behind me. Great, feed me to the beast. Thanks! Bitch.

"What?" She slowly turned to face us.

"Edward told me when he got here. We didn't invite them, I swear!" Bella yelped from behind me.

Then Rose screamed.

"WHAT THE HELL?! HE CAN'T BE HERE!! AND WITH THAT SKANK?!" Bella and I sat on the bed, letting Rose vent it all out.

*****

RPOV

HOW THE FUCK CAN THIS BE HAPPENING?!

My prefect night with my new boyfriend and best friends has turned into the awkward night from hell! I cannot face Emmett like this yet!

This has to be a joke!

"Please tell me you are kidding! Tell me now, and I won't kill anyone." I pleaded with my friends.

Alice shook her head slowly as Bella meekly said 'Sorry, Rose.'

Oh My God.

This is really happening. I started banging my head against the wall. Alice was quick to pull me away from it.

"Stop that! Do you want a bump on your forehead when your boyfriend and ex-boyfriend meet?"

I shuddered. How could this be happening to me?!

*****

BPOV

Well, that went.... okay.

We were able to calm Rose down enough to take a shower and get ready. Alice quickly fixed my face since I sweated off the first one. We sent Edward and Jasper to the store for more wine, because... well, because we will need it tonight.

Just as Alice and I were setting the table, there was a knock on the door.

Alice and I looked at each other and ran to get it. I opened it and we saw Royce.

"Royce! Welcome to Date Night." I smiled at him.

He smiled back and stepped inside.

"We are just waiting on a few more people, who should be here shortly. Dinner is just about ready." Alice piped in.

"Royce!" Rose flew out of her room, looking amazing.

"Rosalie." His face lit up when he saw her.

Alice and I did a little silent cheer behind his back as he stepped forward to greet her with a short kiss.

"I see you have met Alice and Bella. Edward and Jasper will be back in a minute, they went to grab some more wine." She spoke while leading him to the living room.

Suddenly, Pixie shot out of my bedroom and right up to Royce. She started sniffing him, but he jumped away from her.

"What the hell is _that?!_" He basically screamed.

"It is a dog..." Rose looked at him funny then glanced at us.

"Why is it here?" He was behind Rose now, and Pixie was a little freaked out by his reaction to her. She ran over to me and I quickly picked her up.

"She is Alice's. She is the sweetest dog I have ever met, you will love her!" Rose was motioning towards us, but Royce just looked disgusted.

Alice and I were frowning at him while petting our baby.

"I am allergic to dogs." He said, more as an excuse to keep her away.

"I didn't know that. Sorry." Rose apologized and Alice and I moved to lock her up in my room.

"He is _so_ lying!" Alice whisper yelled once we were out of earshot.

I nodded my agreement.

"He didn't even sneeze or anything! He was fine until she appeared. Had she stayed in your room all night, he wouldn't have even realized we had a dog!" Alice was fuming now.

Pixie is mine and Alice's baby. We don't like people being mean to her. Royce totally just lost points.

After soothing Pixie, we closed the door so she wouldn't bother us during dinner. The guys got back and they brought Emmett and Jessica with them. We all sat down at the table.

"Royce, this is Edward, Jasper, Emmett and Jessica." Rose smiled politely, motioning to people as she named them. "You guys, this is my_ boyfriend_ Royce." She stressed the word 'boyfriend' while looking right at Emmett, who glared and put his arm around Jess.

"Bells, this food looks great!" Emmett smiled at me.

"Thanks, Em. I -" I was cut off.

"If only Rose could cook like this, she'd be perfect." He chuckled like he was making a joke.

Rose fumed.

"I prefer to take my Rosalie out to nice places. It doesn't matter if she can or can't cook. Only the best for her." Royce seemed oblivious.

"Aw, Emmie, why don't you ever take _me_ somewhere fancy?" Jessica whined.

"Yes, _Emmie_, why don't you?" Rose spat at him.

Alice, Jasper, Edward and I ate in silence, trying not to stare.

"So, Bella, how has work been lately?" Alice tried to shift the conversation away from them.

"Good, I was able to pick up some extra -" I was cut off again.

"How's the gym, Emmett?" Rose asked.

"It has been OK..." Emmett wasn't sure how to answer her question.

"I suppose it would be. Doesn't take much thought to play solitaire and stare at the women who are jumping around." She smiled at him.

Jessica gasped. "You don't stare at other women, do you Emmie?"

It was like watching a cartoon. Emmett floundered, trying to come up with the right response, while shooting daggers at Rose.

"Of course not, Jess. How's the shop, Rose?" He sneered at her.

She just shrugged.

"Still flirting with all the men so they don't mind when you charge them double the normal cost of repairs?" He smirked.

Rose glared. She had told us all before that sometimes she had to flirt to keep people from freaking over costs, obviously, Emmett remembered.

I watched the emotions cross Royce's face. I have a feeling he is going to go home and check his receipts...

~*~

Dinner passed, but not quick enough. Emmett and Rose spent the whole time trying to piss each other off, and in the process, upsetting Jessica and Royce. Lovely.

The Cullen's were all in the kitchen, washing the dishes, while we girls and Royce were talking in the living room. I think Alice and I have already had almost two bottles of wine just the two of us.

"So, Royce, what do you do for a living?" Jess asked, making small talk.

"I recently took over the family business. My family has run a small chain of banks for a long time." He smiled politely.

"Oh. What bank?" She followed up with. Alice and I were trying to pay attention, but were failing.

"King's Banking." He nodded, moving his arm around Rose's shoulders.

"No way!" I gasped, and they all looked at me.

"What?" Alice snorted.

"That's totally my bank!" I jumped up and found my purse. Pulling out my checkbook, I showed everyone the cover with the KB on the front.

"Ooo!" Alice reached out and traced the letters.

We both giggled, then I flopped back onto the floor next to her.

She and I _might_ be a little tipsy...

After a few more minutes, the Cullen's joined us. Edward and Jasper sat on the floor with Alice and I, each next to his respective girlfriend. Emmett sat with us, slightly away from Jessica - who was on the chair. Rose and Royce were on the couch.

"So, Royce, what are your intentions with my best friend?" Alice asked, suddenly very serious.

"Well, my intentions are to take her on more dates, and I was even hoping she would accompany me upstate this weekend." He smiled at Rose, and she nodded.

Alice and I both said 'aww', then turned to our boyfriends.

"Why don't you ever take me away for a weekend?" I pouted to Edward.

Alice asked Jasper a similar question. I was somewhat aware of Jessica asking Emmett, too. _Whatever, wench. Emmett don't want you!_ I thought, then looked around to make sure I only said it to myself. No one made any faces at me, so I guess I did. Score one for Bella!

I am not sure when, but apparently Emmett and Jessica left. I hope he took her to the roof and pushed her off. Again, I looked around, and it seemed I kept my mean thoughts to myself. Score: Bella 2 Drunkenness 0. W00t!

Rose walked Royce to the door, then when he was gone, she seemed to basically float to her room. When the door was shut, my head snapped to look at those surrounding me. Alice was looking around, too. The guys seemed oblivious, though.

"So..." I started.

"What do we think?" Alice hiccuped, then finished for me. I love when we are on the same page. It is awesome.

"What do we think about what?" Edward asked, looking at us.

I snorted, making Alice and I break into a fit of giggles.

"I think I prefer Drunk Bella to Crazed Bella." Jasper said after a minute. Edward agreed with a nod.

"What? When was there a 'Crazed Bella?'" I asked with a pout. I am not crazed. I am happy!

"This evening with the chicken, and the table cloth." Edward explained.

_Hey! I was totally justified! You were trying to ruin EVERYTHING!_

I realized that I only said that to myself. Sigh. Bella 2 Drunkenness 1.

I was about to express my thought out loud, but Alice cut me off.

"What do we think of Royce?"

The guys shrugged.

"He seemed OK, I guess..." I trailed off, trying to think.

Why is there a big orange spot on the ceiling?

"I don't trust him!" Alice announced, pulling me from my thoughts on the ceiling.

"Why not?" Jasper asked, looking confused.

"He didn't like Pixie! Where is Pixie-girl?" Alice exclaimed, then we both looked around for the dog.

Edward rolled his eyes, then went and let her out of my room.

"That is right! How could he not like her?! She is a little angel!" I had to fight with myself not to yell. Pixie ran up to me and Alice and I were now distracted with petting her.

The guys let us play with the dog for a bit, then decided it was time for the drunkies to go to bed. At least that's what I think Jasper called us. Stupid boy!

I sighed as Edward helped me into bed.

"Edward?" I called as he turned to leave.

"Yes?" He came back and sat on my bed.

"I just realized something." I smiled at him.

"What's that?" His hand ran down my cheek. It felt nice.

I sighed.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, my Bella." With that he leaned down and kissed me. I smiled as I drifted into unconsciousness. My boyfriend is awesome.

**A/N: OK, it ended with Bella being drunk, so if she sounds a bit stupid, that is why. lol But, did ya see?! She told him she loves him! Yay! Like I said, crazazy chapter! I had fun writing it, though. Even if it took longer to get it right. :) **

**OK, this ones poll question.**

**How should _Emmie_ and Jessica break up?**

**A. She realizes he doesn't really want her, and tells him to shove off.**

**B. He gets fed up with her annoyingness, and flips out at her.**

**C. He just stops talking to her, in hopes of her realizing he doesn't like her.**

**D. She walks in on him and someone else.**


	43. Attacked

**A/N: Ok, so I was planning on this chapter being longer, but I decided to stop it where I did. I am working on the next chapter now, so hopefully it will be up soon. I am not saying anything else up here, because I don't want to spoil the chapter for anyone.**

**So, go read! :)**

EPOV

I went to bed smiling. Bella said she loved me. Even if it was in a slightly drunken slur, she said it. My Bella said those three amazing words. To me. My happiness slipped out in the form of a very girly giggle, and I froze. I half expected Emmett to burst through my door yelling that I was a pussy.

When there was no door-bursting, I settled into a nice sleep filled with dreams of my Bella saying she loved me.

~*~

This weekend, Rose went away with Royce, leaving us alone with Emmett. Normally, this isn't any sort of news. But, right now, Emmett is dodging Jessica. After the Date Night from Hell, and her calling him Emmie non-stop, he realized he truly cannot stand her.

He spent most of the weekend sitting around our apartment, sulking. Sulking only because the girl he wanted to be with was currently out of town with another man. I felt bad for him.

On Sunday, after several more calls from Jessica, he simply turned off his phone and threw it into a corner. We decided to go visit the girls. Jasper was the first out the door, and he suddenly stopped.

"Oh, uh, hi." I glanced back at Emmett, confused by Jasper greeting someone in the hall.

"Hey Jazzy, is Emmie home?" Jessica's voice made me shudder.

I turned back, and Emmett looked terrified. I quickly mouthed to him to use the balcony to get to the girls' place, and he nodded then disappeared.

"No. He had to work today." I spoke, peaking over Jasper's shoulder.

"Oh, ok." She pouted. "Well, see ya Jazzy, Eddie."

I couldn't stop the slight growl when she called me that.

Jasper and I quickly made our way over to Virginia. Emmett was already sprawled out on their couch. Bella was in the kitchen, so I joined her as Jasper moved to the living room.

"Hey you." She smiled, leaning up to give me a kiss.

I met her halfway, then settled myself against the counter near her.

"Whatcha makin'?" I asked, watching her mix something.

"Muffins." She said simply, not taking her eyes off what she was doing.

I accepted this, and just stood next to her while she worked. Occasionally, I would play with a strand of hair, but mostly I just watched her. When she had the first batch in the oven baking, she leaned on the counter next to me. I wrapped my arm around her, and just enjoyed being next to her.

After a few minutes of silence, she leaned up and kissed me softly. Well, it started softly. It didn't take much for it to turn into full on making-out. I had her back against the counter when the front door slammed open. We both jumped, and my head hit the cabinets above us.

"GUYS!" Rose shrieked.

Bella was rubbing my head where it hit the cabinet as Rose and Alice came into the kitchen. Well, Rose flew in with an annoyed Alice following behind her.

"Edward, I need to talk to the girls alone really quick." She tilted her head to the side, saying I needed to leave. After giving Bella a chaste kiss, I did.

My brothers looked as confused as me when I made it into the living room.

"Any clue what thats about?" Jasper nodded in their direction.

"None what-so-ever." I sighed, sitting on the ground. They need more chairs...

It was really quiet in the kitchen for a while, and I was getting nervous. What did Rose need to talk to them about?

*****  
BPOV

I was enjoying the make-out session in the kitchen with Edward when the front door flew open.

"GUYS!" Rose yelled, running past the kitchen.

Edward hit his head on our higher cabinets when Rose came in, so I reached up to rub it a little. Poor thing. Rose flew into the kitchen with an annoyed Alice trailing behind her.

"Edward, I need to talk to the girls alone really quick." Rose was really excited about something, and motioned for Edward to leave.

He kissed me again quickly, before moving out of the way. I glared at Rose now. I want to make out with my boyfriend, damnit!

"What is in Rose?" Alice snapped at her.

"Don't get all snippy with me, or I won't tell you my news!" Rose huffed at her.

"Please tell us." I sighed, knowing she would have told us anyways. This just kept her good mood going.

"OK, well, I know it is really sudden. But it feels right. Its just... right. I don't know how to explain it." Rose babbled on.

"What feels right, Rose?" I asked, getting impatient.

She said nothing, just held up her hand. I didn't get it. Why is she showing us her -

Alice gasped, understanding at the same moment that I did.

Sitting on Rose's hand, was a huge - and I mean HUGE - diamond ring. On her ring finger. Royce asked her to marry him.

Alice and I were both silent. Not sure what to say. Rose was getting impatient now.

"Well? Do you think I am a total idiot for saying yes so fast?" She looked honestly worried about what our reactions would be.

"That is one hell of a ring." Alice finally spoke.

"I know!" Rose gushed.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked.

"I think so. I mean... I think so." Rose stared at the ring. "We are planning for the wedding to be in about six months. We figure that is enough time to make sure we don't rush things. I mean, this is moving very fast, so... yea."

Her eyes searched mine, then Alice's. I wonder what she found there, because I have no clue what to think. I was somewhat aware of the timer going off for my first batch of muffins, so I mechanically pulled them out. I placed in the next tray and started to work on the next batch of batter.

~*~

OK, so maybe baking while I am thinking is a bad idea...

I did not pay attention to how much I was baking, until I had no where else to put muffins, and Edward had to restrain me from going to the store for more incredients.

I had made almost ten dozen muffins. What the hell are we going to do with all of these?!

Right now, Edward and I were sitting in the living room of Pennsylvania alone. Alice and Jasper were over in Virginia, and I think Emmett went out with Jessica. Ugh.

"Love, what are you thinking about?" Edward asked.

I totally was not paying attention to the movie we had on.

"Huh?" I looked up at him.

"You have been thinking all night, hense the insane number of muffins. What has you so deep in thought?" He kissed my forehead.

I sighed. The guys would find out sooner or later, and I am pretty sure Alice is telling Jasper tonight.

"Royce asked Rose to marry him." I finally said.

I heard Edward suck in a breath suddenly.

"And...?" He pushed for more information.

"And, she said yes. She doesn't seem too sure of it, though. She said they are waiting six months for the wedding." I sighed again.

"Well, thats... good for them." He finally said.

I smiled up at him.

"You are taking this a lot better than I did. As you can tell." We both chuckled a little.

He leaned down and kissed me softly.

"Well, she is your best friend. You worry about her."

"Yea, but, she is supposed to end up with _your_ brother."

"I know we all hoped for that to happen, but it just might not have been meant to be." He shrugged.

Not meant to be?! They were perfect for each other!

I frowned, and Edward chuckled again.

"What is meant to be, will be."

I smiled up at him, leaning in for another kiss.

I leaned back just far enough to speak, my lips brushing his with each word.

"I love you, Edward."

He kissed me roughly, then.

"I love you, too, my Bella. I have waited a long time to hear you say that."

"I said it last night." I giggled.

He laughed, too.

"Yes, but you were a bit drunk. And you said it once before, right after your trip to Forks. You were high on pain killers that time. Those didn't count." He smiled at me.

"I love you." I said again, smiling at him.

I was in heaven, sitting here in the arms of the love of my life.

*****

RPOV

I cannot believe I am engaged. I was shocked when Royce asked, and just shocked when I heard my voice saying yes. Am I ready for this? Will I be ready in six months?

I just don't know.

~*~

The next couple weeks flew by. Alice and Bella had obviously told Jasper and Edward, which I expected. I spent as much time as I could with Royce. I needed to prove to myself that I wasn't a total idiot for saying yes to a marriage proposal so fast.

I have been happy with him so far, right? We don't fight, he takes me to nice places. He seems to care about me a lot. Is this love? It doesn't feel the same way I felt with Emmett. That, _Emmett_, was love. Pure love. We lusted, yes, but we loved so deeply. Emmett got me. Does Royce?

Could what I have with Royce ever compare with what I had with Emmett?

No.

That simple fact stared me in the face. Made me crazy for wanting it. How could any love ever compare to what I had with Emmett? Nothing ever would.

With Emmett, it was that can't-eat, can't-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over-the-fence, world-series kind of stuff.

Saying yes to Royce, and wearing his ring on my finger, it just made me realize that the only person I was meant to love is Emmett. Is there any way to get back to that?

I looked outside the shop - I was at work right now - and saw how dark it was. A glance at the clock showed it was almost ten at night. Crap. I hadn't meant to stay here this late.

I quickly packed my things, and changed out of the jumpsuit I wear to keep my clothes safe from all the dirty things around here. Time to go home.

After locking up, I began my walk home. It was a nice enough night. Warm, not too windy. I smiled to myself.

Ahead of me, I saw a few guys standing outside a club, and debated crossing the street so I wouldn't have to pass right by them. Right before I decided, I heard one of them call out.

"Rosie! There is my Rosie!"

It was Royce.

I forced a smile and kept moving towards him. I recognized the faces of a couple of the men with him. They were friends of his. One I didn't recognize, but paid no mind to that. We had only been dating for about a month now, I couldn't possibly know everyone he did, right?

"Isn't my Rosie beautiful?" Rose asked, wrapping an arm around me once I was close enough.

He smelled of alcohol. It was not a good smell.

"I think we need to see more of her. See her beauty fully." The man I didn't know said.

I was about to tell him where he could go, when Royce started trying to undo the buttons on the front of my shirt. I quickly pushed his hands away, slapping him in the face afterwards. This just made them all laugh. Too fast for me to react, Royce's hands flew up and ripped open my shirt, sending buttons flying. I jumped and tried to pull my shirt closed. The four of them moved in closer to me. I backed up a few steps, holding my shirt tightly. Before I knew what happened, I was backed into an alley. I tried to get away, but there were four of them, and everything went black.

*****

APOV

Jasper and I were relaxing in Virginia. I am slowly getting over the shock of Rose being engaged. I mean, if this is what she wants, I am happy for her. I just cannot shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. I don't know what it is, though.

Suddenly, Jaspers phone started ringing. He glanced at the caller id, then answered.

"Whats up, bro?" He said into the phone.

I paused the movie we were watching. I could hear someone talking fast on the other end. Jasper sat up a bit and stiffened.

"Where is she?"

Where is who?

"We are on our way."

He hung up the phone and stood quickly.

"What is it, Jasper?" I was worried, wasn't I _just_ thinking something bad was going to happen?

"We have to go. Rose is in the hospital."

I gasped.

"What happened?" I felt the hysterics coming.

"Don't know. She was found in an alley."

And with that, Jasper and I ran from the apartment.

~*~

It didn't take long to get to the hospital, and even less time to find the others. Bella was in hysterics in the hallway, and I heard her before we turned the corner towards Rose's room. Edward was trying to get her to calm down, and I sat on her other side.

"What happened?" I asked, rubbing Bella's back.

Bella blubbered a little, trying to explain what they knew, but I ignored her and stared at Edward.

"She was found in an alley next to a club. Her clothes were torn..." He trailed off.

He didn't need to say any more.

"Who?" Was all I could ask.

"They don't know. She is still unconscious, so they haven't been able to ask any questions." He ran a hand through his hair.

Bella turned and wrapped her arms around me. I automatically did the same thing, and we cried together.

~*~

Emmett refused to leave her bedside. He sat there night and day. Rose has been unconscious for three days now, and he never left. We didn't really, either. The furthest we went, was the cafeteria. Sitting in the hallway, waitng, just made us all antsy. So we left at the normal meal times, making Emmett promise to call us if she woke up. We didn't eat, really, just picked at food. But, we needed to see something other than her door for a few minutes every now and then.

On the forth day, she woke up.

*****

EmPOV

Rose was attacked. My Rose was attacked.

I couldn't wrap my head around that.

Who would attack her? She was the most amazing woman ever, how could someone do this to her?

I sat in the chair next to her bed, holding her hand. I haven't really slept in the past three and a half days. I won't leave until I hear her voice again. Until I see her beautiful eyes again.

This is all my fault.

If I had tried harder to make things work between us. If I had done _something_. I can't help but blame myself for this. I should have been able to protect her.

Her hand twitched and my eyes, which were closed, flew open. And I saw the most beautiful blue ever created.

"Rose." I whispered, feeling the tears fill my eyes once again. This time they were tears of relief. She was awake, she was going to be OK.

"Emmett." That was all she got out, before breaking down in her own tears.

I wanted to wrap my arms around her. I wanted to hold her close, and never let go. But I knew how she was found. I knew what must have happened in that alley. Right now, a man's arms would be more frightening than comforting. So, I just held her hand. She squeezed mine, held onto it as if it were the only thing that could help her.

"Emmett, he... he... it..." She tried to talk through her tears, but couldn't.

I moved a little closer, wrapping my other hand around hers.

"Shh. It's OK. No one can hurt you here." I spoke through my own tears.

We sat there, both of us crying, for a long time. When we were both calm, I spoke.

"Do you want me to go get everyone else? They never left." I asked, wiping around her tears.

"Don't leave me." She gripped my hands harder.

I nodded, and pulled out my phone. I shot a quick text off to Jasper and Edward, then put it away again. It didn't take long before the door flew open. Alice and Bella stood there. They slowly made their ways to the bed, and a new torrent of tears started. I moved back so Alice could get past me, so she and Bella surrounded Rose. They both laid down on the hospital bed with her, and held each other as they all cried. If I can't be the one to help Rose now, I am glad she has these two. They will help her heal.

My brother's and I left the room. We sat in the hallway, giving the girls their privacy.

The joy of her waking up and the pain of not being the one who could help her through this mixed inside of me. The tears that fell now, were for both of those reasons. I didn't try to stop them.

**A/N: Ok, I know what happened to Rose is horrible, so please don't hate me for it. There is going to be a lot of Rose and Emmett stuff coming up, because they have both realized that they were stupid for breaking up and want to get back together. Rose is going to depend on him a lot and, quite frankly, he won't leave her alone unless she tells him to. So, look out for next chapter! It will be much more enjoyable! :)**


	44. Hey Emmett

**A/N: Hello Lovelies!!**

**Well, here is the next chapter, finally! I have been working on it for a couple days, and it is kind of a filler. BUT, the next chapter will be a bit of a major one. This filler just had to happen to cover the time right after the attack. Next chapter is going to be a bit nuts, but very good nuts! I know I haven't done the official break up of Emmett and Jessica yet, but that is a part of the next chapter. I think it should be fun! :) Ok, go read!**

**Review Pls! *pouty face***

**~AP**

JPOV

The last couple months were rough. When Rose woke up at the hospital, we were all so relieved. I thought it was wierd though, no one could get ahold of Royce. His fiance was attacked, and unconscious in the hospital for several days, and he went M.I.A. It didn't sit well with me.

After Rose woke up and the doctors ran a few tests, the cops showed up. They had asked us to leave while they questioned her, but Rose freaked out. She needed people who loved her nearby, and she couldn't answer any questions when she was alone.

The answers she had to give almost made all hell break lose.

Everything clicked into place when she told them who did this to her. We had to hold Emmett back from hunting Royce down. I was not surprised by that.

After a couple more days, Rose was released from the hospital. Things moved slowly from there. She latched onto Emmett, he was her personal body guard. She didn't go anywhere without him, she didn't even answer the door alone. The first day he had to work, she was a total mess. Edward and I were able to stay with her that day, but even with us, any sudden movements had her cringing away.

The girls felt so helpless. They were there for her when she woke up in the middle of the night crying, they ran any errands for her that they could. They did everything they could for her. But, that didn't help them from wishing there was something more they could do.

The friends of Royce's that had been there that night had been easy for the cops to find. Royce, on the other hand, seemed to have disappeared. One of his friends had been so terrified that he had caved and told them everything. Now, all they needed to do was find Royce.

Bella and Alice were the two that surprised us all the most during this time. In their search for something more that they could do for Rose, they found Royce.

One day, they were sitting at a cafe a couple blocks from the apartments. They were discussing everything, when in walks Royce. He got coffee, and left quickly. They followed.

Alice called the number of the cop who was in charge of the case, and stayed on the phone with him as they followed him. They were giving the cop the play-by-play as they went. Bella was doing the same thing, on the phone with Edward. Edward was, of course, flipping out that they should not be following someone who had raped and left their best friend for dead. But, Alice and Bella, being Alice and Bella, had scoffed.

They followed Royce to a posh hotel. They also followed him up to the 5th floor. How, one might ask? _They got on the elevator with him._ They had picked up a tourist map in the lobby of the building, and had it covering their faces as they pretended to discuss places to visit, as if they were tourists. They had tried to mask their voices, and everything. Edward told me after the fact that Bella had done a really bad british accent, while Alice was doing something that sounded hispanic.

Apparently, the whole time, Officer Schmidt was telling them not to follow him, too. He was yelling at Alice that they were being idiots and that if Royce attacked them, it was their own fault. Alice told me later that he had used some choice words to describe how he felt about what they were doing, especially during the fake accents.

They found out what room Royce was staying in, and stayed down the hall until the cops showed up. They wanted to be sure he didn't leave again.

When I had gotten home that night, Edward had filled me in on what our girlfriends had been up to. To say this upset me was puting it mildly. Rose had cried when she heard what they had done, and Edward and I screamed at them. How could they be so... so... I am still so angry at Alice for puting herself in danger like that, I can barely think straight.

Due to the fact that one of Royce's friends had caved, there wasn't a real trial. Since she was raped and then beaten and left for dead, the sentences were harsh. The man who caved only recieved 10 years in prison, with the option of parole in five. Royce and the others recieved 20 years, no possibility of parole.

Luckily, Rose did not have to attend any of the hearings. Her attorney just contacted her with the final sentencing.

Her parents wanted her to come stay with them for a while, but Rose couldn't handle being away from Emmett. She had thought about it, but it was decided she would stay when he simply went to the store and she went into hysterics.

It has been rough, that is for sure. But, things are looking better. Rose went back to work last week. Either one of my brothers or I have to take her to work, then pick her up afterwards, but she trusts the men she works with. It is helping her, too. She is getting back into a routine.

We have all been here for her as she has gone through this all, and I think having people to cry to has helped her heal faster. She doesn't follow Emmett around anymore, though she isn't going anywhere alone yet. It is getting better. One day at a time.

*****

RPOV

I am still in shock most of the time. I don't know if it will ever truly sink in. I can't even think about what happened.

I had nightmare's for the first month or so after it all happened. My mind was replaying what happened, over and over again. It was torture. I can never thank my friends enough for being there for me this whole time. What did I ever do to deserve such amazing people?

When I heard what Alice and Bella did - following Royce - I had mixed emotions. It was too dangerous, I couldn't believe my best friends had put themselves in danger like that. I was mad at them for doing that. But, I was also very grateful. They did that _for me_. And if it weren't for them, Royce would probably still be free.

Even before all of this started, I was realizing I didn't want to be with Royce. I wanted Emmett. He is my soul mate, at least, that's how I feel. Now, it is like, just the thought of him being away from me hurts. He has been so amazing these past couple months. He has been patient, and understanding. He doesn't get frustrated with me or try to push me to do anything. I can't imagine not having him around.

I feel bad for the girl's a lot, though. Ever since everything hit the fan, The Shoppers haven't been preforming. No one pushed me to do it, and honestly, I was a little scared. Being surrounded by so many people made me uneasy. But, I need to get back to life. I need to start living again.

So, last week, I started going back to work. They were all very understanding about what happened, and even a bit shocked when I was back. My boss, Harry, had called regularly during my time off, just checking on me. He felt like everything was his fault. I explained to him that just because I met Royce from working at his shop, didn't mean he was at fault for anything happening. Now, this week, I am going to make sure that the band performs. I am getting my life back.

I walked out of my bedroom to see the girl's relaxing in the living room. They were watching reruns of Dawson's Creek.

"Hey Rosie!" Alice chirped, pulling her legs up so I could sit on the couch with her.

I smiled at her, then turned to watch the program. It was the one where Pacey and Joey first started dating. The scene we were currently watching was when the two of them in the shack, making out behind Dawson's back.

"Hey guys?" I asked, looking at my hands.

"Whats up?" Bella asked, popping an M&M into her mouth.

"I think we should, you know, do a gig this week." I spoke softly, not sure what their reactions would be.

"Are you sure?" Alice asked, pausing the show. How did she do that?

"Yes. I need to get back to living my life. If I just cower in my room, that is letting R..." I couldn't say his name anymore. "_Him_ win." I finished, looking at them.

Alice nodded, and Bella spoke. "Sure, Rose. I will call the bar and see if they have an openning for us." They both gave me big smiles, which I couldn't help but return.

~*~

So, Bella was able to get us a gig. They had gotten a spot filler for our normal Thursday time slot, so we now are going to be there on Fridays. Which is even better! There are more people who can come to the bar on Fridays, no worries of work in the morning.

So, here we are, Friday morning. We are in the bar practicing. It is nice to be playing again. I never realized how much of a stress reliever it is to bang on some drums! We decided that the guys could join us for rehearsal this week, and if they behave they can continue to watch us practice. Doubtful, though, because they are loud. And they have too many opinions.

"We did just fine picking songs before you three were here!" Bella snapped at them. Emmett had just commented on his dislike of I Love Rock and Roll. Alice and Bella were less than excited over him not liking our theme song.

Emmett snorted in response to Bella. Uh oh.

"What was that, Emmett?" Alice's voice asked calmly.

"Huh?" He asked, obviously not having realized he snorted.

"Did you _snort_ at me?!" Bella yelped.

"Yes, Bella, dear. He did." Alice's voice dripped with venom.

Edward and Jasper both smacked the back of Emmett's head.

"What'd I do?!" He yelled, rubbing where the smacked.

"Now they won't let us watch them rehearse again!" Jasper growled at his brother, while Edward just glared at him.

~*~

The show that night went really smoothly. Bella had her Bellaby Time at the end of it. Since it was all kind of last minute, we weren't able toget as long of a set as we were used to. But, it was a good, solid set. It made me excited, instead of fearful, at starting my life again.

~*~

The next week flew by, and before I knew it, we were back in the bar rehearsing. We didn't let the guys come with us this time, though. We realized that there was a reason we didn't let them before.

We picked out our songs and had dinner with the guys. Like we always did before. It was nice.

The first half of the show went smoothly. Then my nerves kicked in. I was stepping in during Bellaby Time this week. I have been doing a lot of thinking, and I needed to do this. I had searched and searched until I found the perfect song for tonight. Now, I just had to sing it.

My voice isn't nearly as nice as Bella's, so I hope I don't get boo'd off stage! Gah!

Bella stayed onstage with me, playing guitar for the song. The song is called Hey Stephen, by Taylor Swift. I just replaced the name Stephen, with Emmett.

_"Hey Emmett_

_I know looks can be deceiving_

_But I know I saw a light in you_

_And as we walked_

_We were talking_

_I didn't say half the things I wanted to_

_Of all the girls_

_Tossing rocks at your window_

_I'll be the one waiting there _

_Even when it's cold_

_Hey Emmett_

_Boy you might have me believing_

_I don't always have to be lone."_

I stared right at him as I sang. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him if I had tried.

"_Cause I can't help it if you look like and angel_

_Can't help it I wanna kiss you in the rain so_

_Come feel this magic_

_I've been feeling since I met you_

_Can't help it if there's no one else_

_I can't help myself."_

Bella sang along with me during the chorus. She was staring at Edward during it, and I saw Jasper and Alice dancing together.

_"Hey Emmett_

_I've been holding back this feeling_

_So I've got some things to say to you_

_I've seen it all, so I thought_

_But I've never seen nobody shine the way you do_

_The way you walk, way you talk, way you say my name_

_It's beautiful, wonderful, don't you ever change_

_Hey Emmett_

_Why are people always leaving_

_I think you and I should stay the same."_

Emmett was staring at me intensely. By the time I got to the last bit of song before it ended on the chorus, my voice was shaking.

"_Hey Emmett_

_I could give you fifty reasons_

_Why I should be the one you choose_

_All those other girls, well they're beautiful_

_But would they sing a song for you?"_

Bella paused her playing during that part, then picked back up when the final chorus's started. I changed the line from 'But would they write a song for you?' to 'But would the **sing** a song for you?' because I didn't write this song, I am just singing it, obviously. When we finished, we both bowed, then made our way back to the group. We only had a couple minutes before our second half started.

Has Emmett moved on? I don't know what I will do if he doesn't want us to try again. I can't live without him in my life. He is the main reason I have gotten through everything that has happened.

I couldn't look at him when we reached the bar. Bella instantly wrapped her arms around Edward, and Jasper and Alice were in their own world. So, I just grabbed my water and sipped it silently. I felt Emmett move next to me, and I finally looked up into his eyes.


	45. AN not a chap, sorry!

**A/N: Hey guys!**

**Ok, this chapter is a biggie. And it is taking me a while to write it. I just wanted you all to know I haven't forgotten about it or you. :)**

**I am working on it right now, and plan on posting it within the next twelve hours. Yay!**

**Since you all are being so patient and awesome, I am giving a sneak peak into what is to come next chapter. It does not start up where last chapter left off, though, so don't expect a big Rose/Em fluff chap. It should be a fun one, though. The sneak peak kind of jumps around a little, too. Sorry. :) here it is!**

**~*~**

I stared at the chaos surrounding me. I was sitting on a couch, in a beautiful house. In a small town, in northern Washington state. I was sitting on a couch in the Cullen's house in Forks. Watching chaos. Total, and utter chaos.

Carlisle and Esme were in shock. Jasper was pacing. Alice was on the verge of tears, with a phone held to her ear. Edward was cowering infront of Charlie, who looked about ready to pull his gun on him. Rose and Emmett were sitting on a sofa, facing the shocked Esme and Carlisle. Rose's mother was crying, as her father rubbed her back and glared at Emmett. Alice's mother was screaming on the phone - loud enough for me to hear. Jacob was raiding the Cullen's refridgerator.

~*~

_"Jessica." Was all he said, getting gasps from the girls._

_We could just make out what was being said in the hall._

_"Emmie, why haven't you called me?" Jessica asked._

_"A lot has been going on around here..." Emmett didn't really answer her._

_"So much that you couldn't call your girlfriend? Why can't we go inside?" God, Jess's voice is so annoying._

_"Look, Jess, your a nice girl -" He started, but was cut off._

_"Don't worry about it, Emmie. Let's go inside." _

_"No." He stopped her._

_"No? Why not?" I could just imagine her head tilting to the side like a dog._

_"We need to talk, Jess."_

_"So, let's go inside and talk Emmie." Wow, she is totally clueless._

_"Jess, just shut up for a minute and let me talk." We all laughed at that._

_There was silence for a minute, and I guess Emmett figured she got the point._

_"You are a nice girl, but I never said I was or even wanted to be your boyfriend."_

_"What are you trying to say, Emmie?" _

_Alice smacked her forehead as Rose and I laughed._

~*~

**Here is a big sneak peak. Because of it's somewhat randomness, and wanting to keep some surprise, I am only going to give you the spoke words. So, you have no clue who is saying what.**

_"Yea. Does yours also say 'I am sorry'?" _

_"Why would she..." _

_"What is going on?" _

_"What is going on!?" _

_"They are getting on a plane, right now, to go to Vegas and get married." _

**Gasp! Who is rushing off to Vegas?! Why are Carlisle and Esme in shock?! Why is Charlie about to attack Edward? Why is Alice about to burst into tears?! Why are Rose's parents at the Cullen's house?! What the hell is Jacob doing there?!**

**So many questions! So much going on! **author's head explodes****


	46. Goin' To The Chapel

BPOV

Sometimes, I have heard, life is a roller coaster. With it's ups and down, twists, loops, jerky motions that you don't know how to take - is the ride malfunctioning and we are about to die, or is it simply a bump? Life is a roller coaster. The past year of my life has been a crazy roller coaster and I am ready to get off of it. I want to check out the Ferris wheel, or the teacups... yea, the teacups...

I stared at the chaos surrounding me. I was sitting on a couch, in a beautiful house. In a small town, in northern Washington state. I was sitting on a couch in the Cullen's house in Forks. Watching chaos. Total, and utter chaos.

Carlisle and Esme were in shock. Jasper was pacing. Alice was on the verge of tears, with a phone held to her ear. Edward was cowering in front of Charlie, who looked about ready to pull his gun on him. Rose and Emmett were sitting on a sofa, facing the shocked Esme and Carlisle. Rose's mother was crying, as her father rubbed her back and glared at Emmett. Alice's mother was screaming on the phone - loud enough for me to hear. Jacob was raiding the Cullen's refrigerator.

How did this all happen? It all started with a song...

~*~

_One month ago..._

_All week Rose was really worried about doing a solo. She was used to being in the background on stage. Rose is usually not nervous about attention - only exception being since everything happened with Royce - but this was different. She was planning to put her heart on the line... again. _

_We all knew how Emmett would react to this, but Rose was unsure. So, I promised to be on stage with her. I mean, we could have gotten Paul to play guitar for her, but she needed one of us up there. _

_When the song finished, she and I made our ways over to the group. Edward quickly scooped me up into a tight hug, while Rose avoided Emmett like the plague. She went straight to the bar for her water, not looking at him at all. Alice and Jasper came over to talk to us and give them privacy. Really, we all just watched. No one had anything to say, we just wanted to see what would happen with those two. _

_Emmett waited patiently for Rose to get the courage to look at him, and when she did, identical grins took over their faces. Emmett wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, letting her know without words how he felt. From that point on, they were practically inseparable. _

_We were all so happy for our friends. They both were happy again._

_I would really LOVE to say we all lived happily ever after, but, this isn't a fairy tale. No glass slippers were placed on feet, no kisses woke anyone from any poison-apple-coma's._

_The next day in Pennsylvania, during our new routine of Saturday Pajama Parties, Jessica showed up. Can anyone say awkward?_

_Jasper had answered the door, and we heard him stuttering._

_"Oh, erm, hi." His body was blocking the door, so we couldn't tell who was there._

_We heard a quiet voice respond, but had no clue what they said._

_"Uh, let me check if he is up yet. Stay right here." The door shut quickly and Jasper flew into the room. He went straight to Emmett and whispered something to him. I looked at the others and they seemed as confused as I was. Suddenly, Emmett jumped up and ran to the door. _

_"What's going on?" Alice asked as Jasper sat back next to her._

_He glanced nervously at the door, then at Rose._

_"Jessica." Was all he said, getting gasps from the girls._

_We could just make out what was being said in the hall._

_"Emmie, why haven't you called me?" Jessica asked._

_"A lot has been going on around here..." Emmett didn't really answer her._

_"So much that you couldn't call your girlfriend? Why can't we go inside?" God, Jess's voice is so annoying._

_"Look, Jess, your a nice girl -" He started, but was cut off._

_"Don't worry about it, Emmie. Let's go inside." _

_"No." He stopped her._

_"No? Why not?" I could just imagine her head tilting to the side like a dog._

_"We need to talk, Jess."_

_"So, let's go inside and talk Emmie." Wow, she is totally clueless._

_"Jess, just shut up for a minute and let me talk." We all laughed at that._

_There was silence for a minute, and I guess Emmett figured she got the point._

_"You are a nice girl, but I never said I was or even wanted to be your boyfriend."_

_"What are you trying to say, Emmie?" _

_Alice smacked her forehead as Rose and I laughed._

_"I am saying I am not your boyfriend. You are not my girlfriend. What happened between us was a mistake." Emmett was getting frustrated._

_"So, like, are you breaking up with me?"_

_This got a snort from Rose._

_"No. Breaking up would imply we were __**together**__. Which we never were."_

_"I can't believe your breaking up with me. Why?" We could hear her crying now._

_"Look, I didn't want it to come to this, but I think the only way you will fully understand is if I am totally honest with you." He paused. "Jess, you freak me out a bit. You show up randomly, I was scared to leave my apartment for a while because I was afraid you would be waiting for me. You are kind of dumb, I mean, this conversation should have been over by now. I HATE when you call me Emmie. My brother's HATE that you call them Jazzy and Eddie. We are not a boy-band, our names do not match. You and I, we had sex. That is what we had, and I sort of used you to make Rose jealous. No relationship. I think you need to get your head examined if you think we had more than just sex. The sex wasn't even that good... But that is beside the point. You and I are not a couple, never have been a couple, never will be a couple. Do you understand me? Nod if you do." _

_We were all sitting there in shock, Emmett just let everything fly out there. I assume Jess nodded, because Emmett continued._

_"Now, I would like for you to leave, right now. Walk down the hallway, get on the elevator, and leave the building. Do not come back. Ever. Or I will have you arrested for stalking."_

_After another minute of silence in the hall, we heard the door open again and Emmett walked back to the group. He took his seat next to Rose again, as we all just stared at him._

_"What?!" He yelped at us._

_That just made us all collapse in fits of laughter._

_Alice, Rose and I started singing, "Ding Dong the Witch is dead."_

_After that, things were calm for about two weeks. Then, we decided to have a party. Well, not so much of a 'party', really it was just we all wanted to get drunk. I guess, since there are six of us, that is a large enough group to call it a small party... _

_Anyways. So, there we were, in Virginia, playing a drinking game. It is called Horse Race, but we renamed it Day At The Races, after a mini-game in Mario Party 2. The way the game is set up, is that you take out all four aces. Those are the 'horses'. You line them up, then, going up the side in front of them, you place 8 random cards, face down. It looks like an L. Then, whomever the dealer is - me, this time - flips over a card in the remaining deck. Whichever ace goes with that card - say you flip over the jack of hearts, the matching ace, is the hearts - moves forward one space. Each space is one of the 8 cards on the side. The first time any ace gets to that spot, you flip over the upside down card. Whichever ace goes with that card, then must move back one spot. Only the first time an ace, or 'horse', moves to that spot does that happen. The game continues that way until one horse makes it past the last of the 8 cards on the side._

_It sounds kind of complicated, but it is quite simple, really. So, we are all standing around the dining room table, screaming at our 'horses' to move faster. Also, in the beginning, everyone chooses a 'horse' to bet on. You bet drinks, instead of money. So, say you bet 5 drinks on the ace of spades. You have to drink half your bet at the beginning. Then, once the game is over, whomever's horse doesn't win, they must finish drinking their bet. If your horse wins, you get to deal out double your bet to whomever you want._

_One round, Alice and I each bet 10 drinks on clubs, and we won. So we each had twenty drinks to deal out. We gave them all to Emmett. So, on top of finishing off his bet, he had forty more drinks to take. When you win, you can split the drinks you deal out. Like, I could have given Emmett 10 drinks, Rose 3, Jasper 5, and Edward 2. That would equal my twenty, but Alice and I were feeling mean, so we gave them all to Emmett._

_It was a fun, and enlightening night. Alice was a bit drunk, and decided to hit on Jasper very loudly, and very explicitly. Before that night, we had no clue on their sexual relationship... now we do. Trust me when I say it was more than we ever needed to know._

_That night, I also started something between me, Rose and Alice. Jasper wasn't as fond of it, but who cares, right? For some reason, that night, every time Alice called Jasper 'Jazz', it just made me think of jazz hands. So every time she called him that, I started doing jazz hands. When asked about it, I explained how the nickname made me think of them. And so, from that point on, anytime Alice called him Jazz, the three of us would pause and do jazz hands before she continued whatever she had started to say. That little habit also stuck around after we sobered up. Like I said, Jasper is not as amused by this as we are._

_Then about another week and a half passed without anything major happening. Alice was acting a little weird, but nothing that really worried any of us. Then, all hell broke loose._

_Edward and I were sitting in the living room of Virginia one night, just watching a movie. Alice and Jazz - jazz hands - were in her room, not doing anything too naughty, because the door was open. When I got a strange text from Rose._

I am sorry.

_I read the text twice, and made sure it had in fact come from her phone._

_"Bella?" I heard Alice call from her room. She walked out, staring at her phone. "Did you get a text from Rose?" She asked, looking up at me._

_"Yea. Does yours also say 'I am sorry'?" I responded. She nodded._

_"Why would she..." I trailed off as Alice's phone rang again. It was a call this time, so she answered it immediately._

_At that moment, Edward's phone went off. I glanced and saw it was Emmett calling him. He answered, and Jazz - jazz hands - and I waited patiently. Suddenly, they both got silent._

_"What is going on?" Jasper asked, looking worried._

_Then, they both started yelling. I heard something about a plane, and quickie. Are Rose and Emmett hopping onto a plane to have a quickie?! Ew! Why would they call and tell us THAT!?_

_Then, Alice and Edward were both just saying 'Hello?' and it seemed as though they had both been hung up on._

_"What is going on!?" Jasper asked, again._

_We were met by silence as Alice and Edward stared at their phones._

_"They are getting on a plane, right now, to go to Vegas and get married." Edward said after a moment._

_WHAT?!?!?!_

_We all seemed frozen for a minute. Then we went nuts. The guys got on the phone, trying to find us all tickets to Vegas on the next flight out. Alice and I were running around, packing what we could. Twenty minutes later, we were in a cab on the way the to airport. No one said anything. _

_As soon as we landed in Vegas, Alice and Jasper were trying to get ahold of Rose and Emmett again._

_"I can't believe we are in Vegas." I said, sitting next to Edward, still in the airport._

_"I always wanted to come... never thought it would be to catch my brother's surprise wedding, though." Edward responded._

_I think we were in shock._

_"Rose!" We heard Alice scream into her phone._

_I ran over to her, this was the first time Rose had answered her phone._

_"Where are you?!" Alice was still yelling._

_What I wouldn't give to be able to hear Rose's answer._

_"We are in Vegas. Yes, right now. Where are you? We aren't going to try to stop you if this is really what you want, we just want to be there, too. WHAT!? YOU GOT MARRIED WITHOUT US?!" _

_Stupid Rose! Stupid Emmett!_

_"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU ROSALIE HALE?!"_

_"Right here." I heard from behind me._

_Alice and I spun around to see Emmett and Rose standing twenty feet away from us. We ran over and jumped on Rose, hugging her tightly._

_"If you ever get married without me there again, I will kill you!" Alice told her, as we squeezed her tightly._

_She chuckled. "Alice, hun, I don't plan on getting married again."_

_We leaned back, and I smacked her arm._

_"Don't do that to us!" I pouted._

_Edward and Jazz - jazz hands - were talking to Emmett, now. Emmett looked like the happiest man alive. He walked away from them, mid-sentence, and came over to wrap his arms around Rose._

_Alice and I 'aww'd._

_"I am still mad that you didn't invite us!" Alice pouted._

_"Yea, well, we have a problem." Rose looked at us nervously._

_"You're not pregnant are you?" I blurted, not thinking._

_"Oh, no! No! This problem is worse than that!"_

_"Look, guys, we kind of need to hop onto a plane, and fast." Emmett somewhat explained._

_"To go back to New York?" I was confused._

_"No, to go to Forks." Rose clarified._

_"Yea, Rosie, here, called her parents right after we got hitched."_

_Alice and I gasped._

_"Are they on their way here?" Alice asked, looking alarmed._

_"No, they are on their way to Forks."_

_What?! One of the Treacherous Two, in Forks?! She will burn the town down!_

_We went into action, then. Again, the guys were the ones we sent to get plane tickets as we waited. Alice and I asked Rose all about the wedding, and made sure she was happy with this. She said that since her last engagement hadn't gone so well, she refused to have a long one again. Emmett was only completely for eloping to Vegas, so when she suggested it, he organized everything. Alice and I got all sappy, of course._

_When the guys came back, they let us know we had a little wait before our new flight boarded, so we decided to get something to eat. It was almost as if we were just at home, only with the option of people watching now. We laughed at some of the people walking through the airport, and Rose and Alice even ran off after one woman to find out where she had gotten her shoes._

_Luckily, we got to Forks before Rose's parents. So, Rose and Emmett were the ones able to break the news to his parents. That went well._

_Rose and Emmett sat on one of the couches in their living room, with Carlisle and Esme on the other one, facing them. We were all standing nearby, watching. I called my father, and he was on his way over. I wasn't totally watching Rose and Emmett, more worried about how I was going to tell Charlie that I had been dating Edward for several months now, and had neglected to tell him. Suddenly, in the living room, I heard the gasp from Esme as she heard the news. My attention went back to them._

_"So, you two are already married?" Carlisle asked._

_Rose and Emmett both nodded._

_"Well, then, I suppose there isn't really anything we can say about it. I suppose a congratulations is in order."_

_"Unless, of course, you have something else to tell us, too?" Esme stopped Carlisle from shaking Emmett's hand, giving a pointed look at Rose's stomach._

_"Oh, no. I am not pregnant." She clarified with a wave of her hand, as if to dismiss the mere idea._

_There was a knock on the front door, and thinking it was Charlie, I left to answer it. I was wrong. It was Rose's parents._

_"Rosalie Hale! Where are you?" Her father bellowed._

_They walked into the living room and he started yelling at Rose. Saying she was irresponsible and I great many other things. Her mother could only cry. I hadn't realized that I had left the front door open, until I heard Charlie call._

_"Bells?" I spun around to see him and Jacob walking inside._

_"Dad! Jake, what are you doing here?" I was truly curious._

_"I was with your father when you called. He insisted I come say hello as well." He shrugged._

_I saw my father's eyes zero in on Edwards arm around my waist._

_"Hello, Mr. Swan." Edward greeted, reaching a hand out to shake my father's._

_"That's Chief Swan. Would you mind explaining why you are touching my daughter." Charlie glared at Edward._

_My eyebrows shot up, I wasn't expecting him to act like this._

_Edward fumbled with is words a bit, as Jake smirked._

_"I might be pregnant." Alice suddenly yelled out, causing everyone to freeze._

_I spun to face my best friend. Jasper looked like a fish, his mouth moving but no sounds coming from him. Suddenly, everything exploded._

_~*~_

And that is how we got to this point. Alice finally hung up on her mother, letting a couple tears fall. Everything slowly calmed down, after that. Rose's parents left to get a hotel, and Carlisle jumped into doctor mode. He started asking Alice questions and they decided to go to the hospital tomorrow for a pregnancy test. Edward was able to convince my father that he wasn't using me, and Charlie and Jacob left.

Jasper was still pacing, until Alice stepped in front of him. After a few whispered words, they disappeared upstairs. Edward collapsed onto the couch next to me, silently. Carlisle and Esme went to bed. Emmett and Rose disappeared, too. So it was just Edward and I downstairs now.

"Well, today was..." I trailed off.

"Yea." He responded

I looked at him and giggled.

"You do realize that tomorrow is going to be just as crazy, right? I won't be surprised if Alice's parents burst through the door in the middle of the night."

Edward started chuckling with me. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me up and led me to his bedroom. We crawled into bed, and tried to get as much sleep as we could. Tomorrow is bound to be crazy, too.

**A/N: I was going to include the next day into this chapter, but it was getting a bit long. So, the next day will come soon, I promise! Yay, Emmett and Jess are totally done! Emmett and Rose are married! Alice thinks she is pregnant!**

**Next chapter will be fun, too! Hehe.**

**The drinking game they played is real. My friends and I love it. Also, every time I see someone use to nickname Jazz, I think of jazz hands, so I had to add that in. :)**

**Now, new poll! Yay!**

**Now that Emmett and Rose are married, what should the living arrangements be?**

**A. The same.**

**B. Rose and Emmett go out and get their own place.**

**C. They all rearrange people between the two apartments.**


	47. Stupid, Lazy Midget

**A/N: Hey all. Finally another chapter. Yay! I am soo sorry it has been so long since I last updated. I have been kind of depressed. A couple days after I posted the last chapter, I lost my job. I also just found out today that a friend of mine died a couple days ago. She had a cancerous brain tumor, so we knew it was coming, but it still sucks. Due to that, I have been in a funk. I didn't want to write, I didn't even want to read. I have been working myself out of it, but it is taking a while, so sorry if this chapter isn't great.**

**I hope you all enjoy it, I am trying to get back to normal fun times with the Awesome 6. When I started writing this, I was still unsure of if Alice _was_ pregnant, but the decision is made now.**

**I hope you all enjoy this. Please review. Thanks.**

**~AP**

APOV

One might wonder why I screamed out - seemingly randomly - that I thought I was pregnant, infront of my boyfriend, his family, our friends and Bella's father. I get how that can seem really random. What no one knows, is that I have been worried about this for a while.

I couldn't go to Rose about it, she has been through way too much lately. And, I am not sure how Bella would react to the news. I don't even know how I feel about it yet, I don't need Bella's unease to add to my own. I couldn't go to the guys because they would tell Jasper, or feel like horrible brothers for not.

So, I was stuck with this weight on myself for a good week or so. I had gotten several at-home pregnancy tests, and got various responses. I knew I needed to go see a doctor to find out for real, but I was scared. What girl wants to go to a doctor about something like this, alone?

So, I tried to act as normal as possible until I had the courage to tell someone.

The plane ride to Vegas, and then the subsequent one to Forks were a mess. I tried, so many times, to tell Jasper. I wanted this out in the open, and it felt wrong to tell anyone before the possible father-to-be. Everyone was a bit stressed. This was a lot of flying in a short period of time. I had a brief worry about if I _am_ pregnant, is all this flying bad for the baby? Then I remembered women are not supposed to fly in their third trimester, first shouldn't be an issue.

When we got to the Cullen's house, everything got a bit fuzzy. Rose and Emmett told Emmett's parents, and they seemed to take it well. Then Rose's parents showed up, screaming. Then Bella's father showed up - with Jake - and didn't seem too happy to see her and Edward together.

Suddenly, I just couldn't hold it in any longer. The exhaustion of so much travelling, the stress of the whole situation, everyone yelling. I just couldn't take it, so before I knew what I was doing, the words flew out of my mouth. I noticed Bella turn to gape at me - Rose did, too. Jasper went into shock, his mouth openning and closing with nothing coming out. And everything went crazy again.

After the initial freak out about it, everyone went back to their own worries, and I called my parents. Everyone else knows, why not them, too?

Not a good idea.

Mom freaked out. She screamed at me for being irresponsible and after letting her vent for a while, I had had enough. I didn't want to cry infront of everyone, so I hung up the phone and grabbed Jasper. We needed to talk.

We walked upstairs and to his old bedroom in silence. I was scared of what he was thinking. When he openned the door, I walked in and sat on his bed. After shutting the door, he walked over to the bed and sat, facing me. One of his hands came up and he wiped away the tears I hadn't realized were flowing, and then the waterworks really started. I couldn't stop the torrent of tears, and Jasper just held me as I cried.

I am not sure how long it took before I was calm again, but Jasper and I were laying on his bed, and he was still rubbing my arm. I took a deep breath, and knew it was time to talk.

Before I could say anything, though, he spoke.

"How long have you thought you were pregnant?" His voice was really soft, like he was scared to hear my answer.

"About a week or two." I sat up slowly. "I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want you to freak out. And I couldn't go to Rose or Bella about it, and I didn't want to involve the guys. It would have been horrible for me to tell either one of your brothers before I told you. I just... I was scared and I tried to tell you so many times today, but things were crazy. I didn't want you to find out this way, in the middle of chaos. And infront of your whole family. It just came out and-"

His hand stopped me. I looked at him, and felt more tears pooling in my eyes.

"Alice, you should never be afraid to tell me anything. I love you. I don't know if either of us are ready for a baby yet, but if you _are_ pregnant, we will handle it. Together."

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, wrapping his arms around me again.

"I'm sorry. I never doubted you, I was just scared in general. I love you, too."

Suddenly, he started laughing.

"What?" I asked, leaning away from him again.

"You do realize that, if you are pregnant, that is going to be one spoiled kid."

I giggled, too. Thinking of Rose and Bella shopping for baby clothes. Then I started thinking about baby clothes, and suddenly I knew how I felt about being pregnant. I want a baby. I want something that is half-me and half-Jasper. A child to love, and raise _with_ Jasper. A baby to shop for.

*****

BPOV

I woke up in the morning feeling a lot better. Yesterday was a crazy day, and while I know today would be, too, it is not a surprise. I _know_ there will be crazy today, I _didn't_ know that yesterday.

So, imagine my surprise when Edward and I walked downstairs to see Emmett, Rose and Esme eating breakfast together, and chatting like it was a normal day. I sat at the table with everyone while Edward made us breakfast.

"Good morning sleepy head." Emmett smiled at me.

"Morning newly-weds and Esme." I smiled at Esme as I stole Rose's orange juice.

"How did you sleep, dear?" Esme returned my smile.

"Great. Where are the others?"

"At the hospital." She smiled casually, as if this were a normal thing.

I was a bit creeped out by the time Edward came in with a couple bowls of oatmeal for us to eat. The three of them were acting as if nothing crazy happened yesterday, and Alice was not finding out right now if she was pregnant or not. Apparently, Rose's parents left early this morning. Since their daughter was already married, they had no reason to stay. They couldn't talk her out of it now.

We had just finished telling Esme about some of our nicknames for each other - I had called Emmett 'Emmie' and he grimaced, so Esme had asked why he didn't like it, then we went into all of our random nicknames. We had just finished telling her about the jazz hands, when the front door openned. Alice and Jasper walked into the dining room.

"Alice, Jazz, welcome home." Esme smiled at them as Rose and I did jazz hands.

Jasper scowled at us as Alice giggled.

"So?" Rose asked, looking seriously at Alice.

Alice nodded her head. None of us knew if this was good news or bad, so we didn't say anything. Jaspers arm wrapped around her waist and she smiled at him.

"Congratulations?" Emmett broke the silence. Alice's head bobbed up and down as she nodded at him.

Rose jumped up and ran over to hug our little friend, and I quickly joined them. I heard the guys move over to talk to Jasper, as we girls huddled together.

"Are you really happy about this?" Rose asked.

Alice nodded again. "I wasn't sure about it at first, but after talking to Jazz last night, I realized how much I wanted this." A few tears slid down her cheeks.

"Bella, we are going to be aunts!" Rose laughed.

"I love you guys!" Alice yelped at us.

"Love you, too, Al." I responded, hugging her tighter.

~*~

After everything calmed down, the six of us sat around in the living room talking. We needed to figure out what was going to happen now. Emmett and Rose are married, so we can't expect them to live in seperate apartments. Jazz and Alice are pregnant, so while it is easier to think of them living together, it would be possible for them to live in seperate apartments. We live close enough that that wouldn't be an issue. But, we had to make a plan.

We decided that it would work out best if we kept it three and three. Then we wouldn't have to worry about changing how much anyone has to give towards rent - our two apartments paid about the same for rent each month. So, Virginia now housed Mr. and Mrs. Emmett Cullen, me and Pixie. I guess, being the dog whisperer means that the dog is now mine. Pennsylvania was now filled with Jazz, Alice and Edward. Edward and I were perfectly comfortable with keeping to our seperate apartments, we kinda live close to each other anyways.

So, once we returned to New York, we just had to move some things around. There were a few arguments about who bought what, but it didn't take long before we had it all sorted. Alice got out of most of the moving process, due to her 'condition'. Stupid, lazy midget.

That was also new. Emmett came up with that while Alice was getting out of doing any manual labor. So, now we all, affectionately, refer to Alice as the midget.

~*~

Edward and I were sitting on the couch in Virginia watched a movie, now. Pixie was asleep between us, as the movie ended. The front door openned and in walked Alice with a bag of chips.

"Hey Midg." I greeted, sometimes I call her that for short.

She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Whats up." Edward asked, reaching for a chip.

"No stealing the pregnant ladies food!" She yelled, yanking the bag away from him. This woke Pixie.

Edward frowned, and left to raid our kitchen for something to snack on. Alice took his place next to me on the couch.

"Bella?" She gave me a large smile.

"Yes?" I eyed her bag of chips.

"You know, you are my bestest friend, and I love you to death, right?"

My eyes snapped up to her face. This was dangerous, now.

"Yes, Midg, I know."

She glared at me for a second, then the smile was back.

"You love me, too, right?"

"What is it, Alice?" I snapped, using her real name in my haste to find out what she was getting at.

"Will you go shopping with me?" She looked hopeful.

I groaned. "Why?"

"Jasper has to work, and I need some things... for the baby?" She gave me her puppy-dog look and I started to give in.

"For the baby?" She nodded. "Nothing for you?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well... maybe one thing for me." She looked guilty.

I sighed. "Fine, Midg, I will go shopping with you."

Alice started clapping happily, as Pixie stood up between us. She started sniffing around Alice's bag, before Alice snatched it away from her.

"Bad Dog. Those are Mommy's." She scolded.

"Seriously, you ditch the dog for you baby-daddy, and still call yourself her mother?" I scoffed, petting Pixie.

Alice was about to retort but something stopped her. Something, meaning, Pixie. The dog walked over to stand next to Alice, then, promptly, lifted her left, and pee'd on her. Alice screetched, jumping from the couch, while I fell on the floor laughing. Pixie just stood there, her butt shaking as she tried to wag the nub of a tail she had.

Alice was still screaming expletives as Edward came running back into the room.

"What happened?" He yelled, holding spatula's in each hand.

I looked at him and laughed harder.

"The dog pee'd on me!!" Alice yelled.

"Is that all?" He asked, his arms falling limply to his sides.

"IS THAT ALL?!" Alice bellowed.

She then stomped out of the apartment, leaving her chips behind. Edward noticed this and, dropping the spatula's on the coffee table, picked up the bag. He had just grabbed one chip, and was about to put it in his mouth as the door openned again. Alice stormed in, grabbed her bag and the chip her was about to eat, then stormed back out. Edward pouted as I laughed more.


	48. Candles And Roses

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter within a few days! I wrote this whole chapter today. It is a bit shorter than the norm, but it is purely fluff. I know Belward has kind of fallen to the side with all the crazy Alisper and Rosmett stuff going on, and they might get bumped a little in upcoming chapters due to Alice's pregnancy. So I thought they deserved their own little chapter to show they are still very much in love. That being said, I intend to have another chapter up pretty soon with group fun times. Yay!**

**I wanted to send a quick shout out to those who reviewed last chapter - THANK YOU! And to those favs and alert adds - THANK YOU! I am so happy there are people still reading and enjoying this!**

**I will have another quick note at the end, so please read it. It is kind of important. Thanks again!**

**Please read, and review! :)**

**~AP**

BPOV

After Pixie pee'd on Alice, I had to clean the couch. And cleaning the couch made me want to clean the apartment. So I did. Edward mainly stayed away at this point, afraid I would ask him to do something. Psh. Like I would! Cleaning is better left to those who know how to do it. Edward is not a messy person - not like Emmett, who just cares if he has space to walk - but he isn't overly clean, either. When I am in cleaning mode, I don't stop until everything shines.

The only hard part, really, was trying to clean up Pixie's toys. Every time I would pick a few things up and set them in the basket we had for them, she would follow behind me and pull things back out. It was a never ending circle. I'd put two balls in, she'd take one out. I'd put a rope and squeaky toy in, she's pull the rope out. Eventually, I got everything in the basket, and I left to clean the kitchen. About five minutes later, I heard a few squeaks, and went to check on the living room. Pixie had knocked over the basket, and now her toys were all scattered across the floor. After the basket had spilled all it's contents, she had obviously gone and dispersed them to places she felt they belonged. Sighing, I set to work on re-filling the basket. I set it on top of the T.V. this time, so she couldn't take everything out again.

I had just finished cleaning the whole apartment, when Rose, Emmett and Alice walked in the front door. I scowled as Emmett immediately put the basket back on the floor for Pixie, but before I could put it back, Alice was pulling me out the door to go shopping. I grumbled the whole way to the mall.

While we were out, I had gotten a text from Edward. He wanted me to meet him in Pennsylvania at 8. I wondered idly why he was requesting I meet him there at a certain time, but just shrugged it off and continued shopping with Alice. After a couple hours of looking through too many cute baby outfits, and a few other stores for Alice and I, we made it home. It was about ten minutes til 8, so I took the time to change into sweats before going to see Edward. Jasper was already in Virginia watching a movie with Rose and Emmett when we got back, so Alice stayed with him.

Knocking quickly on the door, I walked into Pennsylvania. The only light I saw in the whole apartment, was from candles that were placed randomly throughout. I glanced back at the door to make sure I had the right apartment, then slowly walked in.

"Edward?" I called out, unsure of what was going on.

"I am in here!" I heard him in the living room.

Slowly, I followed the candles down the hall. I gasped as I stepped into the living room. There were candles everywhere. On top of the TV, on the shelves they had put up. There were a few on the coffee table, some on the floor around the room, on the movie stand, on the stereo. Everywhere. There were also roses, too. A vase held some on top of the TV, between candles. On the shelves, and Edward held a bunch of them as well.

I was in shock.

Edward stood on the other side of the room from me, also wearing sweats. A grin was plastered onto his face as he watched me take it all in.

I walked towards him slowly. He held out the roses to me, and I took them. I took them just to set them on the floor and then jump into his arms. My legs wrapped around his waist, as my hands tangled in his hair. I pulled him to me and kissed him with everything I had. After a couple minutes, he pulled away, chuckling.

"Hello, love." He smiled at me.

"I love you." Was all I could say.

"Do you like it?" His gaze travelled around the room.

I shook my head. "Nope, not at all."

His head snapped back to look at me, and when he saw the stupid grin on my face, he growled a little. Suddenly his fingers were running up and down my sides, tickling me. I gasped and tried to wiggle away from him, but he held me tightly now.

"I love it!!" I got out between gasps of air.

His hands stopped tickling, and started running up and down my back slowly as he held me tight for another kiss. After a few more minutes, he set me back on my feet, and took my hand.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he started walking.

"Outside." Was all he said.

He pulled me out onto the balcony, and I was surprised to see more candles and flowers. He had covered the railings with both, and there was a small table set up with two chairs. There were two plates, full of food and wine glasses set out. A bucket held ice and a bottle of wine to the side. In the middle of the table, were two tall candles, and a small vase with a couple roses in it.

"Edward, you didn't need to go to so much trouble." I sighed, a lump rising in my throat.

"No trouble at all, love." He said as he pulled out my chair for me.

I sat and waited for him to sit and pour me a glass of wine.

"Is this a special occasion?" I asked, wondering if I missed an anniversary, or birthday, or... today isn't Valentine's Day is it?

But Edward just shook his head. "I just wanted a nice meal with my beautiful girlfriend."

"But I am in my crappy old sweats." I pouted.

He laughed. "So am I."

That made me smile, realizing he knew I would be dressed like this, and didn't care. Infact, he planned for it. That is why he is dressed the same way. I sighed again as we began eating our food.

Dinner tasted amazing. Edward had cooked it all for us. Jasper, Rose and Emmett had helped him by setting up the candles and roses as he cooked. Alice was in on it, too. That was why she wanted to go shopping today. Edward wanted a romantic night in, just the two of us, and he had arranged it all. He knew I would make a fuss if I had known what he wanted to do, so he surprised me.

After we finished eating, we blew out the candles, and went inside. I sat on the couch as Edward went over to turn on some music, then he joined me. Soft jazz music flowed through the room, completing the calm, romantic scene. After sitting there, cuddling and enjoying the peace, Edward started to stand up. He held out a hand for me, and we started dancing.

I danced with the most amazing, gorgeous, loving man I know. In a room filled with candles and roses. Simply because he loves me, and I love him. On a day that has little significance to either of us, but will never be forgotten.

That night, things changed between Edward and I. We were no longer the 'innocent' couple in our group. That night, was the first of many that I spent in Edward's bed.

**A/N:**

**OK. Well, I mentioned a few chapters ago that I have an upcoming trip to the beach. I leave for that on the 16th. I get back on the 23rd, and I am taking my laptop with me. I do a lot of writing while I am there, so expect chapters. I got through like 4 chapters on my two day trip to VA, so a full week in DE should secure at least a couple chapters. I am planning to get at least one more chapter out before I leave for the beach, so no worries. :) But, since I will be gone for so long, and writing lots, I need lots of reviews. I need to know what people are thinking and what they would like to see in the story so I can be sure to write good stuff while I am gone. I will also be working on my other two stories while I am gone, so if you are reading either of those, keep an eye out around the 23rd or 24th for new chapters! :)**

**Due to the fact that I need reviews, I am not going to make a real poll on my profile this time, I will just ask a couple questions here, so please review to leave your answers.**

**1. Do you think Rose should get pregnant, too? Best friends being prego together?**

**2. Do you think Bella and Edward should want to get a place of their own together?**

**3. Should Alice have a girl or boy? And, what could be possible names for either?**

**OK, that's it. Review and let me know!**

**~AP**


	49. PeanutBunnyBlobBaby

**A/N: Hey-lo again! OK, this is another shorter chapter. Sorry! I feel bad that the last couple have been shoerter than normal. And while last chapter was all cutesy, this one is just kind of a space filler. Sorry, again. I am going to start working on the next chapter tomorrow, so hopefully it will be done before I leave for the beach. Things are kind of crazy right now, though, so I don't know. Tomorrow is RockBand night at my local bar, and my friends and I ALWAYS go - side note, last week we got 2nd place in the first monthly Battle Of The Bands there, Yay! - so I hafta do stuff around the house and job hunt before that. Then my best friends bday is wednesday, so we are having lunch. Then thursday my other friend is leaving for Australia, so we hafta say bye to him. Then I have a normal life - for the most part - until we leave for the beach on sunday. So, I am kind of like AH! trying to write, catch up my reading my fanfics and get everything ready. **

**Anywho, read the chapter. I hope you all like it! Review Pls!**

**~AP**

RPOV

Alice is really excited about being pregnant. She has gone into overdrive, planning what the babies room will look like, and possible names. It is crazy to think that she is only about 7 weeks along, yet she insists that there is not nearly enough time left to get things planned out.

We all keep telling Alice not to get herself overly stressed about anything, because that is really bad for the baby. But, she is Alice. And she really does not seem 'stressed'. Just way too excited. Jasper looks stressed. He looked terrified all the time. Not like some guys get when their girlfriend is pregnant - not the 'holy-shit-im-stuck-with-her-for-life' terrified. The 'oh-my-god-I-am-going-to-be-a-father-I-hope-I-don't-drop-it-on-its-head' terrified.

Edward and Emmett are still in the shock phase. It still seems a bit surreal to them, that they are going to be uncles. Bella and I are almost as excited as Alice. Almost.

Emmett and I are sitting in Virginia, enjoying the peace and watching a movie. Suddenly, the front door slams open, and Alice walks in and flops on our big chair, setting her water bottle on the floor next to her.

"Hey honey." I smile at her, as Emmett pauses the movie.

"Don't stop enjoying yourselves just 'cuz I am here." She scowls at the television, waiting for the movie to start again.

"What is wrong?" I ask through chuckles.

"_This_ is wrong." She points at her forehead.

I lean in closer and notice a small red bump.

"Is that...?" I trail off.

Alice just huffs and crosses her arms over her chest, making me laugh a little.

"What are you guys talking about? I don't see anything." Emmett says, leaning closer to her face.

"How can you not see it?!" Alice yelps.

"All I see is your forehead, and that mountain of a zit." He shrugs and leans back on the couch.

Alice then smacks her hand over her forehead and runs from the apartment. Once the door slams behind her, he starts chuckling, then starts the movie again. I glance over at him and shake my head.

"What?" He looks at me innocently.

"That was not nice."

"At least we can watch the movie again."

I smack him on the chest then settle back into the couch to finish the movie. My husband is an asshole.

*****

JPOV

Ok, so, I am kind of freaking out. I mean, I am going to be a father. Me. A father.

What do I know about being a father?!

Alice does not seem to be worried at all. That is good, I guess. I am worrying enough for both of us.

Since we got back to New York, I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. All of the What To Expect When Your Expecting types of books. It is crazy. I mean, how is anyone expected to anticipate _so_ _many things_?!

Life seems to be returning to normal, for the most part. Aside from the apartment shuffle, the marriage, the pregnancy. Everything is normal. Everyone is back at work, Rose feels safe again. Everything is good.

I AM GOING TO BE A FATHER!!!!

I am excited about it, and terrified. It seems to be all I think about anymore.

I pull out another book, and read over a part saying at about seven weeks, the mother can start to notice an increase in acne. I wonder if Alice knows... I should warn her...

*****

BPOV

Well, life seems to be moving forward. Edward and I are happy. Rose and Emmett are happy. Alice is happy. Jasper is anxious. Pixie is happy. Life is going OK.

Today Alice has an appointment with an OB/GYN. She was bouncing off the walls earlier, excited to be going to the doctors. I don't think I have ever seen anyone so excited about such a thing! Jasper had to work, so he couldn't go with her, but she didn't even seen to mind that so much.

Rose and I are sitting in the living room of Virginia now, waiting for Alice to get back. We decided to split up the group tonight. Girl's Night In in VA and Boy's Night In in PA. I think they are playing poker or something. Very macho.

We are just going to pig out on junk food and watch sappy movies. Very girlie.

I was just finishing mixing a bowl of cookie dough, when the front door opened. The guys all walked in, wearing holey jeans and t-shirts. Apparently, we are all playing this boys-night and girls-night very cliche. We girls are wearing pajamas.

"What? No cigars?" I heard Rose ask in the living room.

"Those are back in Pennsylvania." Emmett responded. I walked into the living room with my bowl and sat it next to our other junk food.

"Emmett Cullen, you better not smoke any cigars." Rose scolded.

"But Rosie, its boys night. We gotta smoke cigars!" Emmett whined.

Edward chuckled, reaching for one of the spoons sitting in the bowl of cookie dough. I smacked his hand.

"That is girls night junk food, mister." I shook my finger at him, then picked up the spoon deliberately and bit off a big piece of dough.

Due to the spoonfull of cookie dough, I made a weird noise when he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to him. He kissed me hard, and my hands naturally found their ways to his hair. Suddenly, I pushed him away.

"It is not nice to use your girlfriend for cookie dough." I scowled at him playfully as he grinned at me.

"_Anyways..._" Rose rolled her eyes at us. "What are you guys doing over here? Shouldn't you be telling sexist jokes and scratching your crotches already?"

I giggled at that.

"What, we can't see our girlfriends before all the brotherly bonding?" Emmett pouted.

"OK, that explains two of you." I arched an eyebrow at Jasper, who just shrugged in response.

"He is hoping Alice will be home soon, so he can make sure everything is OK." Edward explained.

"Yea, he has like, turned into Alice's mom or something." Emmett laughed.

"I have not! Can a man not be worried about his girlfriend and unborn child?" Jasper defended himself.

We all just laughed, because Jasper has been a bit mother-hen-ish lately.

We were all sitting around, snacking on our junk food and chatting, when the front door opened.

"Hello?" Alice called down the hall. "The Vagina Party can begin, I have arrived!"

We all laughed a little at this. Rose and Emmett were laying on the couch, and Edward and I were leaning against it, as Jasper leaped from his seat in our large chair. He disappeared into the kitchen and we all just waited for the two to come back to us.

"Why is the Penis Party over here? I figured they'd all be bonding over beer and boobs by now." Alice asked, walking into the living room. Jasper was right behind her, staring at a small piece of paper.

"The only boobs I want to look at are Rosie's and I am not showing them to my brothers." Emmett called from the couch, then he proceeded to pull out the front of Rose's tank top to look down it. She smacked him away and sat up.

"What's that?" She asked, leaning on the arm of the couch, next to Edward and I.

"Oh, its the baby's first picture." She yanked it from Jasper's hands to show us.

Jasper's hands were reaching out a little, as they had moved when Alice had taken the picture, and he looked like he was about to yank it back from us.

"All I see is a peanut." Emmett said, leaning over Rose to look.

"My baby is not a peanut!" Alice yelped.

"Can't help what I see." He shrugged.

"No, no. If you cross your eyes and little, and tilt your head to the side... like this." Rose tilted Emmett's head for him. "It kind of looks like a bunny rabbit."

"Don't look at it that way!" Jasper snapped at all of us, as he snatched the picture away again.

He and Alice stood there looking at the picture for a minute. Until he noticed Alice tilting her head and trying to cross her eyes. Then he pulled the picture away from her, too.

"OK, so, so far, I don't quite have a baby. I have a blob." Alice shrugged, taking a seat.

We all laughed, as Rose and Emmett settled back onto the couch. Jasper cleared his throat loudly at Alice's comment.

"_Sorry._" She held up her hands in apology. "_We_ don't have a baby, _we_ have a blob." She giggled.

We chuckled more as Jasper sighed heavily.

"Don't call the baby a blob." He whined.

We let them argue about their peanut-bunny-blob-baby for a few minutes before kicking the boys out. Jasper took the picture with him, because he said Alice didn't deserve to keep it if she would continue insulting the child. Silly Jasper.

**A/N: Hi again! :) So, yea, found out the other day my friend is prego, and she is about 7 weeks in. And she just got her first sonogram thingee, and she keeps saying 'I don't have a baby, I have a blob." So that is where I got that from. Just so everyone knows, Jazz will calm down some as the pregnancy goes forward. He is still just in shock and all, he is not going to freak and like leave her or anything, and I do not plan on doing anything like him freaking out and Alice thinking he might do that or anything. They are going to have a happy pregnancy. I promise. There will just be fun times during it. :)**

**I also just wanted to let everyone know that, unlike when I went to the wedding and said 'I will try to write some but I don't know how much I will do...' blah blah blah. I KNOW I will be writing at the beach. I am there from the 16th to the 23rd and I write a lot while I am there. My one friend who will be there, too, and I are writers. So, when we are at the beach, we spend like... oh... I don't know... _half_of every day writing. Ok, maybe not half, but several hows a day. We sit outside in the sun and write, and chat, and drink. Also, I will be reading Harry Potter while I am there, so if you get any chapters that seem HP-ish, sorry! lol**

**Also, another apology/explaination :**

**My friends and I get exceptionally hammered at least one day during our beach trip. There is one bathroom in the house we stay at, for 5 people, and we have actually had it happen once where throughout the night two of the guys basically passed each other all night to go throw up. We are unsure of how they had it seemingly scheduled perfectly, because neither of them saw each other during the night, but the next day they both talked about throwing up all night. **

**We visit the liqour store about once a day while there, so while only one night we all get hammered, we are drinking basically every night. And we are all intelligent people (not to toot my own horn, but I am not an idiot.) and we tend to have really indepth, intense conversations... and almost always end up discussing Jurassic Park. So, just like the possible Harry Potter moments, there might be some weird parts where I try to write a velociraptor into a dream sequence or something... I am sorry if I do. :)**

**OK, I think my author's note has run on for long enough. To anyone who has read all of this, I am sorry you wasted time reading my ramblings haha**

**Please Review the story. It would mean a lot to me. :)**

**~AP**


	50. Leaving

**A/n: I want a hippopatomus for christmas!! Only a hippopotomus will do. no crocodiles no rhinosceruseses. I only like hippopotomuseses and hippopotomuseses like me too!!!!**

**I am currently in the car on the way to the beach. My best friend Seth is driving, and he just put on one of my most favorite songs! I spent basically an entire year singing that song a couple years ago... AND I GOT A HIPPO FOR XMAS!!! My friend at the time got me a dancing hippo for xmas haha. it was great.**

**Anywho. We have a cpl hours left on the trip, so I figured why not write? Haha and Seth took a 'short-cut' that he is not sure where he is going so... yea... might take longer to get there haha. so much for winning the race... My friends and I always race to the beach. there are generally 3 cars going. This year, it is Sethers and I in his car, Ryan and Kirk in Ry's car, and Adrienne is driving herself. Last year... I think it was last year... anyways... I was driving myself, and I missed a turn and gave up on the race. Somehow I caught up with Ry's car, it was him and Paul in it, and I passed them. I won! Yay! Paul claimed I drove 90 miles an hour through cornfields to beat them. And since then, it has gone up each time we mention the trip. Last I checked, according to Paul, I was doing 180 or so, through cornfields.**

**Anyways... time to write! There is an important note at the end of the chapter.**

**~AP**

EmPOV

So, Alice and Jasper are going to have a kid... weird. I mean, I am excited to be an uncle, but it is weird to think of any of us having children.

Rose and I were sitting in Virginia, watching a movie... we do that a lot now. Bella and Eddie were in her room, talking about something. Well, it was more like fighting about something. They have been arguing a bit lately. I am not sure why, but they are always at it. When they are around the rest of us, it is just intense stares, but when they are alone, the fights start. They seem happy enough, so I really have no clue what they are fighting about, and I am not worried.

Rosie sighed next to me.

"Whats up, babe?" I asked, not bothering to pause the movie. We have seen it before.

"I just wish they would stop arguing." She sighed again.

I shrugged. "They will."

Rosie laughed a little, then snuggled closer to me. I smiled and tightened my arm around her. I love relaxing like this with her.

~*~

A couple days later, Rosie and I were making our ways over to Pennsylvania. We were having group date night there, and we were running a little late. As we were walking to the door, we heard some yelling. After glancing at each other, we walked in.

Alice and Jazz were standing in the kitchen, obviously wishing they could disappear and not be in the middle of whatever Eddie and Bells are fighting over. Rosie and I moved over to them.

"Hey guys. What is going on?" Rosie asked, hugging Alice.

"We were waiting for you guys, and it just kind of exploded in there. I am not quite sure what started it." Jazz answered.

"Is it about what I think it is?" Rosie asked, and I gave her a funny look.

"Of course it is. What else do they ever fight about?" Alice responded with a laugh.

Jazz and I looked at each other, confused.

"Care to fill us in?" Jazz asked as I stared at the girls.

Alice opened her mouth to respond, but we suddenly heard Bella yell.

"Well, do what you want Edward. But I _am_ leaving."

With that, Bella walked to the front door. She saw us all standing there, and stopped.

"Sorry guys, I am just not in the mood for date night." And with that, she was gone.

We all slowly walked to the living room. Edward was seated on the couch with his head in his hands. I gave Rosie a pointed look, telling her she _would_ be filling me in later. She nodded.

"So, who is ready for dinner?" Alice chirped.

Edward stood up and walked to the door. He didn't say a word, just bolted. We all sighed, then got our food. They are big kids, they can figure out their own problems.

As we sat at the table, Alice giggled. We all looked at her like she was nuts.

"I was just thinking, it wasn't long ago that it was Bells and Edward having Double Date Night with Jazzy and I. And we always wished you two would join us, and it almost looks like you two replaced them." Rosie joined her giggling this time.

I raised an eyebrow at them, and Alice backtracked.

"Not really _replaced_ them, I am not saying they are breaking up. Just that to someone else, it would appear as though we just switched out our friends." She smiled.

My eyebrow raised a little more. "Why would someone watch us having dinner? That would be creepy."

"No, no! I didn't mean that someone _was_ watching us have dinner. We aren't like a sitcom or anything." She laughed nervously.

We all stared at her. I couldn't hold in my laughter anymore when tears started filling her eyes. We all burst into laughter as she examined her nails.

"Ali, babe, he was joking. He knew what you meant. I just have an ass for a brother." Jazz punched my arm, while rubbing hers to comfort her.

She sniffled a little, then glared at me. "It is not nice to mess with a hormonal pregnant lady."

Rose just sat back and munched on her dinner while watching us all.

"Moving on. Would either of you two ladies care to tell us what the hell is going on between them?" I asked after a minute of silence.

Rose sighed.

"Apparently, Bella has been bothering Edward to move out - you and I are a bit loud, babe." Rose said simply.

I smiled, thinking of all the things Rosie and I do in our bedroom.

"So... what is the problem?" Jazz asked, keeping his head in the game.

"Edward doesn't want to. He says it is hard too find an apartment in New York, and why move somewhere new where they will have to pay more for rent. And yada, yada, yada." Alice elaborated.

"So, basically, I have one asshole brother, and one dumbass brother?" Jazz said after another silence.

*****

BPOV

I don't understand why Edward does not want to move out. I mean, how can he expect me to live with the two that are trying to rewrite the karma sutra? I growled to myself, and paced my bedroom.

I mean, is there something wrong with getting a place with me?

Woah. Back up. No going down that path. Edward loves me. He loves me.

But, I need to get a new place. A place where I have the loudest sex, not my roommates. I sighed, then moved to turn on my laptop. If I planned on getting my own place, I needed to start looking.

~*~

After a couple hours of searching, I had found two possible apartments. I had found like 10 others that were within my price range, but they were all 'efficiency' apartments. Which means a one room apartment. Well, tecnically a 2 1/2 room apartment. 1 large room, that served as bedroom, kitchen, living room and dining room. 1 Closet, and 1 bathroom. Hell no.

So, now I have two possibilities. I quickly filled out what I needed to online, and sent it off to the building managers. Now, I just need to wait.

I looked over the posibilities again. Just wanting to double check them. After about twenty more minutes, I sighed and turned off my computer.

I glanced at the clock and realized I needed to head to bed if I planned on being able to wake up in time for work in the morning.

I quickly brushed my teeth and hair, then changed into my ratty old pajamas and climbed into bed. I never wore my cute ones to bed, because those were saved for pajama parties.

After settling into bed, I heard my phone beep in the living room. Annoyed, I climbed back out of bed and brought it back to my room. As I climbed back into bed, I checked who the text was from. Edward.

_Hi._

That was all it said. I smirked at the little screen. He hated when I was upset with him. I quickly wrote a response and sent it off.

It did not take long for me to get one back.

_I miss you._

Another simple one that made me smile.

_If you really missed me, you would be over here already._

I giggled as I sent that one off. Quietly, I tiptoed out into the hallway. Emmett and Rose had gotten home an hour or so ago, while I was apartment hunting. I faintly heard a door open and shut, then I held my breath and waited.

I almost laughed when I heard the clink as Edward tried to open it, but it was locked. Quickly, I silenced my phone, so when he sent me a new text, he wouldn't hear my phone go off. I heard him whisper something in the hall, then try the door again.

I felt my phone vibrate in my hand, and flipped it open.

_The door is locked._

I silently giggled, and wrote back.

_That sucks._

I know I was being mean, but he should know I am joking. I love the boy, why would I really lock him out?

It didn't take long before my phone vibrated again.

_Are you not going to let me in?_

It was hard to supress the laugh that time, but I did for the most part.

_I don't know._

Was all I sent back. I heard him sigh in the hallway and try the door again. The _clink-clink_ made me giggle. After another minute or so, I quietly made my way to the door. I tried to look through the peek hole, but it was too dark in the hallway to see him right, and his head was bent down.

I giggled, and opened the door. Then I froze.

"You are not Edward." I said, staring at him.

"No. I am not. You are very observant." The man smiled.

**A/N: Hey again! Well, another shorter chapter. Sorry. And I am really sorry to say, this is the first of the last chapters of Life. I told myself a while ago that I would stop the story when I got to a certain point, and I am there. I see no way around what comes next, and there is no way to change it. I will be writing the last chapters while I am here at the beach.**

**I am undecided yet on if I am going to be doing a sequel. I will let everyone know once I have figured it out.**

**~AP**


	51. Life

**A/N: I am cold. Sigh. And in crazy pain. This is day... 3 at the beach. Well, the third full day at the beach. On the first full day, we drank. We drank a lot. We drank too much. I started to try and write that night, but it just ended up with the a/n and my friends drunkenly typing, too. There was a lot of swearing, and things that didn't need to be in an A/N lol But yea, I can barely move my hand. Monday was a very Bella-esque day for me. First, while we were mini-golfing, I just randomly fell down three steps between holes. No real reason I fell, just... fell. Skinned my knee and twisted my ankle a little. Then we got really drunk that night (there are 5 of us, and we went through 3 6-paks, 1 4-pak, and almost 2 bottles of rum.) I went outside to smoke, and my friend Ryan came out to sit with me. Well, I was drunk and on the phone with a friend back home, and we saw a frog. I thought the frog was AWESOME. So, when Adrienne came outside, she caught the frog for me. I gave ryan my phone to talk to Tubby while I held the frog. The frog got away, and I got the phone back. So, I was drunk, on the phone, and kneeling down to look for my frog friend. It does not take a genius to figure out, I fell down. I fell down hard. I only had one hand to catch myself with, so I did and now I can barely move that hand. Sigh.**

**I do have more drunk stories now... :-D And, I have decided, I am going to do a sequel. There will be a little bit of a wait for it, though. So I can concentrate on other writings first. But, there **_**will**_** be a sequel. Is it kind of wrong that I know how the first chapter of the sequel will go, yet I am having insane trouble figuring out how exactly to end this story? Sigh.**

**Oh, and just wanted to mention... this will be the last chapter. **

**Ok, gona write this chapter now. :)**

**  
~AP**

BPOV

I giggled, and opened the door. Then I froze.

"You are not Edward." I said, staring at him.

"No. I am not. You are very observant." The man smiled.

My eyes narrowed at the man standing in front of me. Where the hell is my boyfriend?

Jasper smirked as he put his phone in his pocket and walked away. I glanced down the hallway, expecting Edward to turn a corner. But there was nothing. I shut the door, confused, and headed back to my room. I opened my phone, and shot him another text asking where the hell he was as I turned into my room. The light was out, so I almost missed the shape laying on my bed. Almost.

The shock of seeing someone there made a scream form in my throat. The suddenness of seeing someone, though, turned the scream into more of a squeak. I heard the chuckle I knew all too well, and glared at the form as I caught my breath.

"Why was Jasper at my front door?" I asked, leaning against my dresser.

"I figured something like a locked door would happen, so I sent him as a distraction." He smiled, leaning into the little bit of light from my window.

"How did you get in here?"

"Patio. It really is convenient." He smirked again, as I glared.

I moved a few things around on my dresser, not wanting to give in and go to him yet. I am still upset with him about everything. I fought the urge to look at him when I heard his sigh.

"Are you really mad at me, then? For not wanting to move?" He sighed again.

I shrugged.

"I just don't get why. I mean, it is not like I am asking you to move across the country, just get our own place. Don't you want to live with me?" The last part I hadn't meant to say, and it came out as a bit of a squeek.

"Of course I want to live with you, Bella. It's just... it's just a really big step." He sighed, yet again, and I let my eyes wander to him.

"OK, Edward, sweetie, you do realize that we would be taking the smallest step out of our little group here, right? No wedding rings. No children. An _apartment_. With just _us_ living there." I smiled.

Standing up, Edward walked over to me with a smirk on his face. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and placed a kiss on the top of my head.

"So, I suppose we have to start looking for a place, now."

I did a little victory dance, and informed him that I had found two possibilities.

~*~

3 and a half weeks later, Edward and I were packing up our things. The two places I had found originally had been taken already, so we kept looking. Luckily, Eric's cousin's best friends sister's boyfriend's mother (or something like that) was moving. She had been in the same apartment for about fifteen years, and when news got to her that someone that knew someone she knew's cousin's friends... I don't know the lineage, OK?! Anyway, she put in a good word for us, and the building manager called. The rent was a little less than what we paid now(score!), and it was a two bedroom place. It is only about three blocks from where we live now, too, so I am in heaven. We don't have to move across town! Yay!

So, Edward and I are packing up our things. It really is not a lot, we decided not to fight the group on furniture, and we are going to buy new things. So, all we have is bedroom decor, and clothes. It is going _so_ much smoother than when Emmett and Alice switched apartments.

Everyone seems happy with the move, too. While we have heard some grumblings about them having to pay more in rent now, they are happy we aren't fighting anymore. And, we get a slight hike in how much rent we each pay, too, so that has made Emmett happy. His words on the subject were something like, 'I can't believe you guys are making us give up _more_money for rent here. How insensitive of you! Although, you have to pay more now, too. Haha! Karma bitches!'

We loaded all of the bigger things into Emmett's jeep, and the boxes of clothes and small things from our bedrooms into Alice's car. Everything fit perfectly. We split up for the ride to the new building - guys in the jeep, girls in the car. I was so excited to be moving in, I just watched the buildings pass by as we drove.

"Uh, Bella?" Alice spoke from the front seat.

"Hm?" I couldn't stop staring or smiling long enough to really acknowledge her.

"Why are you looking out the window like that?" She asked.

"Yea, it is not like you have never seen these buildings before. Actually, I am fairly certain you have seen them all almost every day for the past couple years, babe." Rose added in with a laugh.

I laughed a little, too. "I know. I am just really excited about getting my own place."

They both laughed at me again.

"Bells, you realize it is not _your_ place, right? It is yours and _Edwards_." Rose pointed out.

"And, you have had 'your own place' for a while. It is not like you are just now moving out of your parents place." Alice giggled.

"Yes, guys, I realize Rose and Em are not my parents, and I realize it is not just me living there. It is just exciting. Alice, you understand. I heard all your squealing while we moved you in with Jazz." I gave her a pointed look.

She just rolled her eyes, and turned to look out the windshield as Rose pulled into the parking lot behind the jeep.

Alice was able to use her pregnancy to get out of carrying things, again. So, she stayed up in the new apartment and helped direct everyone on where to place things. My bedroom set was placed in the 'master bedroom', while Edward's things were put into the spare one. When Edward complained about his things being tossed aside, Alice made a stand on my things being nicer.

The clothes were to be placed in the 'living room' - I don't call it that yet, because you at least need a couch to call it a living room - so that she could go through everything. We all laughed hysterically when she came across some sweats in Edwards clothes. They were the only ones he hadn't thrown out after the prank war. The pants had 'juicy' bedazzled across the butt, and a shirt was folded with them, that said 'I Love The Jonas Brothers'.

That also brought back painful memories, though, and Alice and I both had to run our fingers through our men's hair, remembering when they had none.

We found a lot of things that made us think back on all the time we had spent together. A shopping bag full of pixie sticks, a flyer from the first night the guys saw us perform, a receipt from the Grocery Store 500. The bag from the first time I had brought snacks for the guys back to Rose and Alice's - before I moved in. The half-full bottle of painkillers from my last trip to Forks. Edward and I both seemed to hold onto a lot of things for sentimental value. It seemed like we were constantly like 'Oh! Look at this!' as we pulled things from our boxes, then the group would go off on tangents of what was going on in our lives during that time period. It is crazy to think we have not known each other for very long.

When we finished pulling things out and putting them away, the four left to go back to their apartments, and Edward and I were finally alone for the first time in our apartment.

I shut the door behind them, and leaned against it a little. Edward came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I turned around to rest my head on his chest.

"Ready for bed?" He asked quietly.

I nodded and we started walking towards the bedroom. I felt his eyes on me and he stopped walking. My hand instinctively moved up and wiped away the single tear that rolled down my cheek.

"What's wrong, love?" He looked at me, concerned.

I shook my head.

"Nothing. I am going to miss living with them, is all." I tried to smile at him. "I really am happy to be here, now. It is just going to take some getting used to."

He smiled warmly at me.

"I know what you mean. Let's go to bed." He lead me to the bedroom, _our_ bedroom.

As we changed and climbed into bed, there were no more tears. There is nothing to be sad about. I am living with the most amazing man, now, and we have our whole lives ahead of us. And plus, it is not like we will never see the group. We only live a couple blocks away, and Alice and Rose are taking me out shopping tomorrow for the apartment decor we are missing.

This isn't an ending, it's a continuation. Life.

**A/N: OK, so obviously, I started writing this chapter at the beach. I just finished it, though and had to post it ASAP. I loved the reviews I got for last chapter! I hadn't planned any real time between posting chapters, so I didn't even realize how people would think something bad was about to happen! Sorry! But, as you saw, everyone is A-OK. :)**

**So, this is the end. As I said, I _am_doing the sequel. There will be a short break before I start it, but not too long. I will post a note on here once it is started, so don't remove this story from your alerts until I announce that, if you want to read the sequel, that is. :)**

**I have really enjoyed writing this story, and am I bit anxious to start the next one. Can't wait to see what craziness happens when there are 3 apartments to be crazy in! hehe. **

**Thank you very much to everyone who has been reading this story. It means a lot to me! You have no idea how much it means to me every time I get a review. Honestly, I get my emails on my cellphone, and the only reason I started doing that is because of the reviews. I was always so excited to see them, that I wanted to see them as soon as they came in. :) **

**Keep the love alive, guys! And I will see you again, I hope. **

**~AP**

**Ps - to anyone who read my top rant about being in pain, I hurt my hand a week ago today, and it still hurts a bit, but is feeling much better. I have full range of motion, and am able to opn doors again. Yay!**


	52. Quick Note

**Hey guys. I just wanted to let everyone who doesn't have me on author alert, I posted a one-shot that is an extension of the I've Never in chapter 28. So, if you want to check it out, it is simply called I've Never. I just posted it like 2 or 3 hours ago and it has gotten 24 hits, so thanks to everyone who has checked it out already! :) I hope people enjoy it! Some of the things mentioned in it **_**might**_** get brought up in the sequel to Life. **

**Speaking of the sequel, I am itching to write it, so you all might not have to wait long for it. :) I also am in need of a title for it... any ideas? Let me know! :) I will post another note on here when the sequel is posted.**

**~AP**


	53. Another Quick Note

**Hey guys!**

**Ok, I told you all that I was antsy to start working on the sequel and... yea I just finished the prelogue and 2 chapters. chapter 2 made me cry like a baby, so yea... get ready. :)**

**It is called...**

**The Next Phase Of Life**

**I just posted them all, so go check it out!**

**Lots of love!**

**~AP**


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